All Roads Lead to the Same Place
by Jmaka
Summary: Luke and Lorelai finally get around to discussing their failed relationship. Their next big hurdle: Where do they go from here? This story takes them to one author's conclusion for the series.
1. Lucky Chance

Ok, I have peeked on this site for a few days and read some fics, sometimes enjoying everyone's ideas of how this story should go on. Then Awk! I came up with my own, and hence my very first (internet) published fanfic. Oh and by the way I suck at titles.

Feel free to read, review and comment at will. Please be nice to me (hee)! Kidding! Love it or hate it, if you feel strongly enough about it, go ahead and let me know.

I am thinking this story will be three parts, maybe four parts if I am feeling the love. I also want to get this off my chest before the real episodes come back and renders all of this just one person's crazy idea of how I would like to see the show turn out.

And—does anyone know what names of Lane's twins?

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will, just like to see them play with each other (Dirty!)

Lucky Chance

Lorelai put the jeep in park and turned off the ignition. She slouched in her seat and let out a sigh, then looked out at the imposing house stretched out before her. She sighed again. Ever since her father had his by-pass surgery and went on leave of absence from work, he seemed to take a leave of absence from his life too, leaving everyone around him scrambling.

Now, not only was Lorelai coming to Hartford for Friday night dinners, she was driving up regularly on Thursday afternoons, or Tuesday mornings, or whenever her mother screamed out an SOS. Lorelai wouldn't have minded these extra trips; she was just never sure what reception was waiting for her when she walked through the door. Sometimes her mother was pleasant and grateful for Lorelai's help with the management end of running her father's business. Sometimes Emily Gilmore was in full-on witch mode with a capital B, leaving Lorelai mentally and physically exhausted after spending a few hours with her.

And her father—between the golf and the velour jogging suits, never mind the petulant, not-a-care-in-the-world attitude—she wasn't quite sure if those doctors hadn't done a by-pass on his brain, rather than his heart.

She sighed again. Still, in all, she was secretly glad she was now seeing more of her parents. Soon Rory would be graduating from Yale and who knew where she would land her first job. Lorelai was hoping that she would get _The New York Times_ internship, but Rory also had interviews clear across the country in Seattle and San Francisco. If she took a job out there…Lorelai stopped herself from contemplating that until the reality presented itself. She had always encouraged Rory to follow her heart and live her life to the fullest, but she had a feeling Rory following her heart would finally break hers. She wasn't sure she could handle one more person gone from her daily life, and this would be _big_.

Her mind wandered over the other losses over the past few months. Christopher, who had been such a presence flitting in and out of her life. Not someone she could really depend upon, but someone who would always be tied to her through Rory. She grimaced briefly, remembering how they parted, how their marriage was over before it even started. After twenty-some odd years, it had finally become apparent that it wouldn't work, it never would have worked, but that still did not lessen the pain.

Gigi, his daughter with Sherry. She had looked forward to raising the little girl. She had hoped raising her would fill the void when Rory left, but she would not have that chance.

Her mind turned to her last loss, Luke. If Christopher flitted in and out of her life, Luke was the constant she could depend upon. He had always been there, for moral support, a rock in her life that she had clung to. He had always been there for her. Now, she had rarely allowed herself to think about him. It was still too raw, even now. Since the split and subsequent divorce from Christopher though, Luke had been creeping into her thoughts more and more. She knew she had to come to grips with what happened, but to think about all the mistakes….

"Lorelai!" her mother called sharply from the door. "I expected you fifteen minutes ago. What on earth are you doing in the car?"

"Nothing, mom," Lorelai said as she got out. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Well for goodness sake, get in here! We have a lot of work to do today and very little time to do it! I have a DAR meeting at 2 p.m. Richard!" Emily turned and shouted. "Lorelai is here!"

Lorelai stepped over the threshold and the latest maid was right there to take her coat. As the walked towards her father's office, he appeared on the stairs holding a pitching wedge, clad in yet another jogging suit, this one navy in color.

"Hi dad," Lorelai said, eyeing the jogging suit. "Out to cruise the juice bar at the club?"

"Very funny, Lorelai. No, I am about to head out to the putting green we had put in the back yard. I had some sand traps put in," Richard replied.

"You put sand traps around the putting green in your back yard?" Lorelai asked in surprise. "The weather hasn't been that warm until lately. How did you manage that?"

"The way, I manage everything, dear—with money," he replied smugly. "I am really getting very good."

"Tiger Woods, watch out. We'll be seeing you at Augusta," Lorelai joked.

"Lorelai, please," her mother interrupted. "We don't have a lot of time!"

"Okay, mom, lead on. I'll caddy for you tomorrow, Dad," she said over her shoulder as she followed her mother into the office.

Emily shut the door. "Lorelai, please don't encourage him," she said in exasperation. "I am having a hard enough time keeping up with things here and I still haven't been able to convince him to take the slightest interest in work."

"What does his doctor say?" Lorelai asked.

"He's informed me Richard is healthy enough to start easing himself back into a routine, but he refuses! I don't know what to do!"

"We'll figure out something, mom. We can get Rory to help us too, if she has the time. Rory can get him to do anything."

"Rory is too busy with Yale and job hunting," her mother replied forlornly. "It's all up to me."

"Mom, I will _help_. We'll get him back into his old routine again." Lorelai looked through the papers on the desk. "What are we doing today?"

"Not much, really. I need you to show me how to bring up the account information, so I can monitor the incoming and outgoing expenses and we need to check the balance sheet line by line but I need you to play messenger and deliver some documents."

"Messenger? Mom, why don't you hire a service and have them deliver these documents?"

"Lorelai, these are important documents that I need you to hand-deliver. I don't want to entrust this to some fly-by-night operation."

"Okay, okay, I give," she held up her hands in mock surrender. "Let's take care of the accounts, then I'll play messenger girl." A sly look came over her face. "Maybe a singing messenger girl!"

"Lorelai!"

* * *

Lorelai drove east through downtown Bridgeport to the other side of town. The sun was shining and the weather was fine, so she opened the window as she drove and enjoyed the day. She parked her car, and went into a glass office building, up to the top floor to deliver the packet her mother had entrusted her with.

Once she was out on the street again, the nice weather made her walk around to enjoy the warm, spring sunshine. She decided to walk for a bit to stretch her legs before making the long drive back to Stars Hollow.

She had no destination in mind, she just wandered. After a few blocks, she could see the glimmer of the harbor and it seemed to pull her in that direction.

She slowly walked down to the gangplank to watch the bustling marina. She smiled, but her smile suddenly turned thoughtful. Luke.

He told her he had bought a boat and was keeping it at the marina right here in Bridgeport. She still had trouble believing how quickly he had given up his dad's boat, only to buy a new one almost immediately. In all the years she had known him, she never knew him to be that impulsive. She remembered the look on his face when he told her "Things change".

Mentally she shook her head. This was not the time, nor the place to be thinking about Luke. She needed to move on and not dwell on the past.

She turned abruptly and walked straight into a man and woman headed to the docks.

"Watch out!" the man said.

Clumsily, Lorelai twisted and shifted direction quickly and missed knocking into either of them, but blindly plowed into someone else.

"Gah!" she cried out as she felt herself losing her balance.

She closed her eyes as she started to fall. She heard a crash, and suddenly she felt someone grip her tightly and keep her from falling.

"Lorelai?" the voice was incredulous.

Lorelai prayed she did not recognize the voice. She opened one eye and saw Luke holding her steady, his hands on both her arms.

"Luke." She opened the other eye.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a stroll before I headed back to Stars Hollow," she replied.

"But…here?" He was peering at her intently.

"I was delivering some papers for my father and I was enjoying the day," she babbled, sure she was sounding like a lunatic and sure that he thought she was there stalking him. She looked down and saw a cooler, some bags, Luke's toolbox and some blankets strewn around them.

"I'm sorry, let me help you." She bent to retrieve what he had dropped.

"No, its okay, I got it." He picked up his belongings and efficiently juggled them so he could carry them. "I'm just taking some supplies over to my new boat."

"Yeah, you did say you bought a boat and had it at the marina." She fell silent and felt awkward. "Well…."

"Would you like to see it?" Luke asked suddenly, shocking her.

"Oh. No. No, that's okay," she said backing away. "You probably have things you wanted to do and I should get back."

"No, it's no problem. I was just going to drop this off and pick up a few more things to get her ready," he shrugged at her. "You're here. Why don't you have a look?"

"Ah, okay," she agreed. She committed herself to going to the boat. "Here," she said, "at least let me help you carry some of this stuff." She eased the blankets away from him without disrupting the load and managed to grab one of the bags.

"Lead on."

* * *

She trailed after Luke, down the gangplank as he wound his way along the docks. Every so often he would nod, if someone waved at him or he would say "hey".

Just when she thought she would drop the stuff she carried, he stopped.

"Here she is," Luke announced.

Lorelai looked at the boat and said "Wow."

The boat, named _Lucky Chance_ had to be a good fifty feet in length with a deck area with cushioned benches on either side. There was the steering section that also had two captain chairs for the driver and a passenger. She could see the steps leading below between the two chairs.

"It's amazing!" Lorelai exclaimed. "It's so big!"

Her mind immediately screamed _Dirty_! She glanced at Luke to find him looking at her and she had a sneaking suspicion he was thinking the same thing. Luke stepped into the boat, set everything down, took the objects from her hands then reached a hand out to help her aboard.

She gave him her hand and as she stepped on board, his other hand was at her waist, steadying her. He let go as soon as she regained her balance and went into the boat. As she followed, he pointed out some of the features.

"Here's the galley, place to eat, down this way is the bathroom, which is a bit tiny, but manageable, and down here," he led her down a short corridor, "is the sleeping compartment."

He walked into the compartment and Lorelai peered in. There were two large lower bunks large enough to sleep two people each, with regular single-sized bunks above. One of the top bunks was already made up and a shelf attached to the wall, loaded with books.

"April's?" she guessed.

"Yeah, I thought I would stock it with some of her favorite books, so if she got bored, she would have something to do."

"I can't imagine her being bored with you," she said and he looked at her oddly. "I mean out on the deck, fishing, watching the water. She will probably want to stay on deck with you."

"Well, I hope so." Luke replied. "I just couldn't see her wasting the summer away, sitting in the diner, watching me wait on people. This way, we can get away and really do something fun."

"It will be great." She looked around. "You really have a lot of stuff here already. I thought you weren't going out until the summer? That's a ways off."

"Yeah, I know, but I want to practice my seamanship before I take April out this summer, so I am stocking up the boat and planning a test run on Sunday."

"A test run?" Memories of her test run of the Inn came flooding back.

"Uh. Yeah," he replied, suddenly uncomfortable and Lorelai was sure he remembered the test run too. He gestured to Lorelai to go back the way they came. "It's nothing big really. I'm just going to take the boat out for a few hours and basically cruise around."

"Alone?" Lorelai wanted to kick herself for asking the question. It was none of her business if he brought someone with him.

"Yeah," he replied. They had stepped back up on the main deck.

"Luke," she said, her embarrassment immediately turning to concern. "Are you sure you can handle this boat by yourself?"

For a moment he didn't speak. He heard the worry in her voice and he was surprised how he reacted to it. He felt the need to calm her.

"I'll be fine," he said reassuringly.

"Okay, if you say so," she didn't sound convinced.

Another awkward pause stretched between them. Lorelai started to feel a little trapped even though they were standing on an open deck.

"Well," she said brightly, "I need to get going. I need to be back at the Inn before the dinner rush." She looked around at the boat again. "It's really beautiful. I hope you and April have a terrific time."

She managed to climb up to the dock unassisted and began walking away.

"Lorelai." Luke called.

She turned. "Yes?"

He paused. "If you aren't doing anything on Sunday, you are welcome to come along." He could not believe he asked her to come along. What was he thinking?

"Ah…"

"I understand if you have plans. I just thought I could show you I do know how to handle this boat."

"And if you don't we both go straight to the bottom?" she blurted out.

"Something like that," he said with a straight face.

She resisted the urge to laugh at his response. She glanced around for a moment, unable to meet his eyes, wondering why he would even ask her and put them both in what was definitely going to be an uncomfortable position. He had to be a glutton for punishment.

She decided she must be a glutton for punishment too. "I guess," she nodded. "What time?"

"Eight a.m. You don't sound too sure."

She looked at him sharply at that moment and almost cried out 'what do you want from me?' but then she replied, "If I am not here, then leave without me."

He gave her a measured look. "Okay."

"Now I really have to go," she said backing away.

"Lorelai, watch where you are going."

She turned and sidestepped a fisherman walking down the dock. She gave him a feeble wave then turned and walked away.

Luke began unpacking the rest of the gear he had dumped on the deck and paused for a moment, watching her in the distance. He wondered how they managed to independently end up at the same place, at the same time, almost like they were drawn together. He also wondered what the heck he was thinking by inviting her to go for a cruise when it would just be the two of them. He spent a long time trying to figure out why he did that.

* * *

Lorelai wasn't sure how she made it back to Stars Hollow. She was thankful for whatever auto-pilot mode she was in that got her back to the Inn in one piece. She waved Michel away and closed herself in her office without stopping by the kitchen to let Sookie know she was back. She sat at her desk, forcing herself to keep working.

A while later, there was a tapping at the door. The door opened a crack and Sookie peeked in.

"Lorelai?" Sookie called. "I brought you some dinner."

Lorelai realized she had missed lunch and was indeed hungry. "Thanks, Sook."

Sookie set the tray down on her desk, noticing that Lorelai looked a little thoughtful. She fidgeted by adjusting the plate and the silverware. "Honey, are you okay?" she asked finally.

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

"Emily give you a rough time today?"

"No, no more than usual," she said distantly. Sookie could tell she wasn't really paying attention to the conversation.

"Then what? Lorelai?" No response. "Lorelai!"

"Oh! Sorry, Sookie. I…" she trailed off.

"You…."

"I ran into Luke today in Bridgeport."

"In Bridgeport?"

"Yeah, I had to drop off some papers and I took a walk and walked right into him."

"Oh honey," Sookie said sympathetically, "what happened?"

"It was okay." She shook her head in wonder. "I think. He showed me the new boat…"

"Really?" she asked in surprise, a note of hope creeping into her voice.

"…and then he asked me go out on it with him on Sunday."

"Really!" she said speculatively. She clapped her hands in glee. "You two are dating again!"

"Easy, Sookie, it's not a date. He just asked me along. I'm not even sure I am going to go."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't it take you a while to figure out you were dating him when you first started dating him?"

"That was different, Sookie. Everything is different now. It is _not_ a date. Even if he thought it was, which he doesn't, I am not going to jump from Luke, to Christopher and back to Luke again. My heart can't stand it."

"Lorelai?" Sookie waited until Lorelai stared her straight in the eye. "Then why are you even considering going?"

Lorelai had no reply.

* * *

Saturday night, Luke was helping TJ clear the table after dinner. Liz had cooked and was finishing feeding Doula. Luke smiled down at his niece.

"She gets prettier every day," he smiled.

"Aww, big brother, you say the sweetest things. Here, take her." She handed him over to Luke, who adjusted her in his arms like a seasoned pro. "Look at you," she marveled, "I remember when she was first born you didn't even want to hold her."

"Yeah, well she grew on me," he smiled softly. He tossed a clean towel over his shoulder and proceeded to burp her. He swayed gently from side to side.

"I'm gonna take off though. I want to turn in early. I have a big day tomorrow."

"What's going on?' Liz asked.

"I'm taking the boat out for a little test run tomorrow."

"Wow. You having a party or something?"

"No, ah…I'm just taking her out."

"By yourself?"

Too late, he saw the trap. He hesitated. He never could lie to Liz.

"Luke?"

"Well, ah, Lorelai is going with me. I think."

Liz' mouth dropped open and she turned and looked at TJ.

"Luuuke." Luke hated the way TJ drew out his name. "Do you think that is wise?"

"Look," he said, handing Doula back to Liz. "Nothing is going on between us. I ran into her, I showed her the boat, she was worried about me going out alone…"

Oh?" He didn't know how Liz managed to say so much with one word.

"Luke," she continued, "Lorelai's father got sick and you were right there at the hospital. She wrote that wonderful character reference that allowed you to get partial custody of April. She was married, now she's divorced. I think there is still something there between you. I still think you two belong together."

"Liz, Lorelai and I both made mistakes when we were together. We are different people now. We have to at least try to be friends as long as we both live in this town. I don't love her and she doesn't love me."

"Who are you trying to convince here? Me or you?"

Luke looked from Liz to TJ, realizing he could never explain it to them. He couldn't even explain it to himself. "I gotta go."

* * *

Lorelai sprinted down the gangplank. _I am out of my mind_, she thought. She had debated with herself about going all day Friday. Sookie didn't help by popping in every five minutes to see if she had made up her mind. Her mother had noticed she was very distant at dinner Friday night, but she managed to chalk it up to Rory not being there.

Rory. She needed to talk to Rory, but every time they talked on the phone, the conversation centered on Yale, finals, graduation, Logan, job interviews and even Paris. She sounded so bogged down; Lorelai didn't want to burden her further. Besides, she had decided they needed to talk about this face-to-face.

So she swung back and forth like a metronome, changing her mind back and forth. Finally, she decided she would not go.

Sunday morning dawned and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why she was awake by six. Still she stayed in bed, debating back and forth until finally, she flung off the covers and got ready.

After everything she was now late. Luke had told her eight a.m., and it was now eight-twenty. He had to be gone already. She should just go back home, yet her feet pounded on the dock as she tried to urge herself to run faster.

She rounded the dock and sprinted down the last stretch as she spotted the boat still docked. She saw Luke, dressed in his usual jeans, flannel and baseball cap, working on the deck, preparing to cast off.

"Wait!" she yelled. "Luke, wait!"

Luke looked up and saw Lorelai running toward him. He deliberately quashed the feeling of relief as he saw her.

"Slow down!" he shouted. "I'm not going anywhere yet."

Lorelai ran the last few yards and actually jumped, her momentum landing her squarely on the deck of the boat. She bent over with her hands on her knees panting.

"Hey sit down, take it easy," Luke said.

"I thought…you were leaving…at eight," she managed to croak.

"Nah, I just told you eight because I figured if you did come you would be late. I wasn't planning on leaving until eight-thirty. Actually, you are right on time." Luke had the audacity to grin.

Lorelai looked up at him and gave him a truly evil glare. "I could've stopped for coffee!" she cried.

"Don't bother. I got a pot going in the galley. Help yourself. We cast off in five minutes."

Lorelai groaned as she went to the galley and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sprawled out in a chair as Luke went past her to the sleeping compartment.

"Did you sleep here or something?" she called down the corridor.

"No," his voice was muffled and she saw why. He was headed back, pulling a thick fisherman's sweater over his head, while carrying another sweater and a life vest. He put the sweater and the vest down in front of her then put his baseball cap back on.

"Got here at seven-thirty. Here, put these on."

She looked at the items then back up at him quizzically.

"Its going to be cold until the sun gets higher in the sky and I figured you needed the life vest to stay afloat after the boat goes down to tell them where to find me."

"Like the captain going down with his ship?"

"That's the general idea," he deadpanned. "Come out when you're ready," he said and left her alone.

* * *

Lorelai shielded her eyes as she looked out over the vast expanse of blue. She had been surprised when Luke adeptly maneuvered the boat out of the marina and out into open water. He seemed quite at home steering the vessel. She was sitting in the chair next to him, surreptitiously glancing over at him when she knew he wasn't turned in her direction. He looked good in the sweater, his flannel shirt peeking out around the collar and hanging out the bottom. For all the attention he paid her, he could have been alone.

They hadn't spoken.

Lorelai wasn't sure what had changed; he had seemed amiable enough when she first arrived, but now, she felt awkward. She stood up and looked around, for the first time realizing she saw nothing but ocean. How far out had they come?

Almost in response, Luke slowed the boat and turned off the ignition.

He looked askance at her. "We'll just bob around for a while. Are you hungry?"

Lorelai was confused again. "Yeah, but—"

"Good, I'll make us some lunch." He left her alone on the deck.

After a moment she followed him down to the galley.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"I'm making lunch."

"I can see that, but…."

Luke turned to face her. "But?"

"You just spent the entire morning, driving the boat, not saying a word. Is something wrong?"

Luke hesitated. He had spent the entire trip debating how to talk to her. "No."

"Luke? Why am I here?"

"You were the one who showed up to come along this morning."

"And you were the one who invited me," she said in exasperation. "Why?"

Luke turned away again and wiped his hands on a cloth. Lunch would have to wait.

"Look. Lorelai, we've been through a lot over the past year," he began, "I just thought…."

"Yes?"

"I am tired of all the tension. Maybe we should talk and smooth things over between us, so things won't be so difficult for either of us. You know, with the town." Luke said slowly as if carefully picking his words. He knew he picked the wrong ones as soon as they were out of his mouth.

Lorelai looked at him in equal parts rage, disbelief and pain. Her throat constricted and she was afraid she would burst out in tears.

"Smooth things over for the sake of the town?" She laughed unpleasantly. "Wow, you have more consideration for Stars Hollow now than me."

"That is not what I meant," Luke said immediately. "We are always there. That damned town is always watching and there is no way we could have talked there."

"That's were we live, in a town full of loons." Lorelai turned away from him. "We fit right in." She shook her head. "Smooth things over."

"Damn it Lorelai, we have to talk!"

"Is this why you asked me out here?"

"It didn't occur to me when I asked you. I don't know _why_ I asked you," he said, honestly. "But when we started out this morning….It's the perfect opportunity. No Miss Patty. No Taylor. No Kirk. No interruptions."

Lorelai felt a surge of fear. She knew that they would finally really talk about what happened between them, but she realized she still wasn't prepared. It was just the two of them and he was right, there would be no interruptions. Suddenly, the boat seemed to shrink in size and all she could see was Luke. She felt the panic rise in her. She wasn't ready for this.

"Take me back!"

"No," he said simply.

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open.

"It's doubtful you'll get service out this far. I came out a lot farther than I intended," Luke commented.

Lorelai snapped the phone shut when she saw the 'No Service' message.

"Fine! I'll drive the damn boat back myself!" She darted out onto the deck and up to the wheel. She actually had her fingers on the ignition key when Luke's hand closed over hers. She pulled back; after all this time his touch still burned.

"Are you gonna settle down?" He leaned down to catch her gaze.

"No, I am gonna scream my head off!" she railed.

"Scream away. No one is gonna hear you."

"Argh! Why now? Why after all this time? You made it quite clear that you weren't upset about our break-up. That you would go back to being the guy who pours my coffee. Well that didn't happen. I have learned to live with it. So why now?" She stepped up and actually got in his face. "Why?"

"Things change."

Those two little words stopped her. She looked into his eyes, but couldn't figure out how he felt.

"Fine," she conceded, backing away. "Talk. Get it off your chest. We may as well seeing as this will probably be the last time I ever speak to you!" She turned and headed back to the galley, knowing he was right behind her. She poured herself another cup of coffee and not looking at him, sat at the table and stared at it.

Luke watched her for a moment then continued preparing lunch. "Have you thought at all about what went wrong with us? When we went wrong?" he asked tentatively.

Lorelai looked over at him. His back was turned. Something in the tone of his voice, the tension of his shoulders made her change her mind and not give him a flip answer.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I know exactly when we went wrong," she said softly. "I should never have asked you to marry me."

He turned to face her, surprised, then leaned against the counter. "Why not?" he asked curiously.

"It was for all the wrong reasons. Rory had dropped out of Yale and was at my parents' house. I just jumped into it because you were on my side and I needed your support. I pushed you."

"So you never loved me?" His voice was hoarse.

"Oh Luke, of course I loved you! We weren't ready then. We both had been alone for too long. We needed more time to be together, to strengthen our relationship."

"Seems to me it was pretty strong."

Lorelai shook her head. "If it was, we would have been able to deal with the obstacles that tore us apart. You couldn't tell me about April."

"I could never find the right time to tell you," he admitted. "I was afraid of losing you and at the same time I wanted to build a relationship with her. You have no idea, how it had been, watching you and Rory over the years. The closeness. The love. I wanted that with my daughter too. I felt I needed it to be just her and me to build that kind of relationship. I didn't think about what it might be doing to you, to us."

"Luke, you shut me out and it hurt," she said. "I didn't want you to see how unhappy I was. We kept things from each other. I didn't feel I could tell you how I felt."

"I should have realized," he sighed, "but I didn't. I was too wrapped up in April and trying to keep the peace with Anna so I could keep on seeing her. It was a mistake. I am sorry."

"I couldn't handle it anymore. I was so unhappy and I had to do something to make you see how bad things were."

"And that something was walking into the diner and issuing an ultimatum? You never gave me a chance Lorelai," he said, his voice rising in anger.

"Luke, I gave you a chance. The answer was no."

"And you ran off, without talking about it. You ran straight to Christopher." His voice turned ugly.

It hurt hearing him say that, but she had to face it. "I didn't run to him! I couldn't go to Rory that night! I had no where to go! It was a mistake! I was in pain! I needed to talk to someone!" she yelled at him.

"You could have stayed and talked to me!" he yelled back at her.

"I couldn't! You didn't want me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"I've never stopped wanting you!" he yelled.

The sudden silence between them was deafening. Lorelai's mouth dropped open. Luke pushed away from the counter, realizing what he had just said. He realized that his anger and pain were fueled by the fact that he still cared for her, still loved her. But she didn't love him back. He realized he couldn't handle her letting him down, no matter how gently she did it because then it would truly, finally be over with them.

"You're right, we should go home." He went out on deck.

Lorelai sat dumbfounded for a minute then jumped up and sprinted after Luke.

"Oh no!" she screamed at him as he reached for the key. "You made me stay here and talk. You can't back out now. We have to finish this!"

"I don't need the gory details of you and Christopher!"

"Well you are going to hear me out! You started this!"

Lorelai shoved his hand away from the ignition, grabbed the key and quickly backed away.

"Lorelai give me the key!"

"No!"

"Lorelai!"

She ran to the side and he saw her fling her arm out. The sun bouncing off the water momentarily blinded him so he couldn't see where the key went. He went to the rail and shaded his eyes and looked out at the water.

"Lorelai! Are you crazy? Do you realize what you've done?"

"Yes! I am finishing this! I am smoothing things over! Live with it!" She wiped the tears from her cheeks and went back to the galley.

It took a full five minutes before Luke calmed down enough to come back into the galley. Lorelai was sitting drinking coffee. Luke sat down at the table. They didn't look at each other.

"I didn't go over there to sleep with him," she began quietly.

Luke flinched. "Did he pressure you?"

"No. It was mistake, but he was comforting and for short time, he made me forget about you," she murmured. "A very short time."

She finally looked at him. "When you showed up that morning suggesting we elope, I was hurt. I had to tell you, not to hurt you back, but to be honest with you. I had kept everything bottled up for too long and I couldn't do that anymore. I'm sorry."

He sighed and got up and brought lunch to the table, though he was sure that neither one of them was hungry.

"If it was wrong, why did you marry him?"

"He had always been there in my life. There were times he and I were very close to marrying but something always got in the way of that happening. I went ahead and married him against my better judgment. He assured me it would work and I," she paused, "I thought I could finally make a family for Rory and me. But something got in the way this time too."

"What got in the way when you got married?"

It was her turn. "You."

Something flickered in his eyes and was quickly gone. "But you married him anyway."

"Yes and it was a mistake."

"You could have made it work."

"I tried, but we couldn't. I should have realized when I turned him down when I was sixteen that we were never meant to be. He was afraid back then, and he had shown me time and again, that he couldn't handle a relationship, couldn't be there for me in the tough situations. And he was too jealous of you."

"Of me?" he queried softly. "We kept clear of each other."

"Christopher, for all his faults, did make the effort. He was supportive when April had her appendectomy and I went to the hospital. He was annoyed that I didn't want to leave Stars Hollow when we went house-hunting. He was down-right jealous when he saw you and me with Doula and immediately wanted more children and I told him I wasn't ready."

"But you want more kids." He remembered their conversation on the subject quite clearly.

"Yes, but with someone I can raise them with. I realized I couldn't with Christopher. History was against him. Then he left after he found your letter."

"My letter?"

"The character reference. He walked out. He said I wasn't done with you. That we weren't finished."

Luke's jaw tightened. "I'm sorry if my asking for that letter ended your marriage."

"It didn't. It just brought our troubles out into the open where they could no longer be ignored. That's why he wasn't at the hospital when my father was sick." She caught his gaze and held it. "But you were. After everything that happened, you were."

"I had to come. I remember how it was the last time."

"I hated the way my mother treated you."

"Your mother will never change. It doesn't matter."

"It does!" she said angrily. "You deserve better!"

Luke was silent for a moment. "_Are_ we finished?" he dared to ask.

She knew what he was asking and stared into his eyes, trying to fathom how he was feeling, but she couldn't. Her own emotional state was too raw.

"I honestly don't know," she dropped her head into her hands. "Right now, I can't think about anything. This," she gestured between them, 'has worn me out. I'm exhausted."

"I feel the same way," Luke nodded, he rubbed his face absentmindedly. "I can't deal with anything else at the moment." He heaved a sigh and looked at her. "C'mon, let's get some rest."

"Rest?"

"Rest, as in sleep."

Lorelai looked at him warily, not sure what he was suggesting.

"Sleep as in you take one bunk, I'll take the other," he clarified. "I can call the Coast Guard to come rescue us later."

"Ah, you don't need to call the Coast Guard," she began sheepishly, reaching into her jeans pocket. She dropped the key on the table. "I didn't throw it away."

He gaped at her. "Why did you make me think you did?"

She gave him a nasty grin. "Payback from this morning."

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he looked at her, but his eyes were glinting in amusement and after a moment he gave her a small grin.

"Do you want to get some rest?" he asked.

Truthfully Lorelai was exhausted. She had not realized how tense she had been and how much their talk had drained her emotionally.

"Yeah, I could use a nap."

He stood up. "C'mon."

She slowly followed him into the sleeping compartment. "Left or right?"

"Ah…right."

"Here." He tossed some blankets on the foot of the bunk and then proceeded to unfold a couple of blankets for himself. Lorelai did the same. They got into their respective bunks and settled down facing each other, staring at each other.

"It's okay," he said gently, "sleep."

Lorelai closed her eyes and surprisingly drifted off with a sigh. Luke watched her a while longer before he too drifted off.

* * *

Lorelai slowly opened her eyes then frowned as her surroundings came into view. It took her a moment to realize where she was. She looked over at the other bunk. It was empty. Lorelai stretched; amazed that she had slept so comfortably and was actually feeling pretty good, in spite of the high drama she had gone through earlier. She had to admit, it was the best she had felt in months. It was the proverbial heavy weight that was lifted from her chest. She had gotten her chance to explain everything and so had he. She idly wondered if, or where, they would go from here.

She heard the study thrum of the engine and realized Luke was taking them back. Back to land, back to Stars Hollow, back to ….what? She cringed anew over the bad decisions she had made over the past year. Leaving Luke, marrying Christopher, yet she wasn't sure what she wanted next. She almost laughed when she realized she would have to talk to Luke. She owed him that. And she knew he would help her figure it out.

Lorelai got up and walked through to the galley, preparing to go on deck when she saw the plate of food he had left her, with the simple note that said "Eat". It looked like he had made fresh coffee for her too. She shook her head and was touched by his thoughtfulness. Realizing that she was very hungry, she grabbed the plate and poured herself some coffee and sat down and ate, her mind going off in all directions.

She knew they needed time. As awful as the day had been at times, it had been a good thing that they had talked, but she had no idea what Luke was thinking or even if he was even considering starting their relationship once again.

She finished her meal and went back to the bunks to straighten them out. Next, she started cleaning up the galley, keeping herself busy, all the while thinking.

* * *

Luke slowed the boat down as the got closer to the marina. He wondered if Lorelai was awake yet. He remembered staring down at her, watching her sleep before coming back out on deck. He had let his mind run, unchecked over everything that happened over the past year, including this trip. He felt better, no actually he felt pretty good, but with one exception: where would they go from here? As long and as difficult this day had been for both of them, it was clear it wasn't over for either of them yet.

He maneuvered the boat back up to the dock, secured her then went back inside to wake Lorelai.

He was surprised to find her drying the dishes. "Hey you didn't have to clean up. Did you eat something?"

She turned around and faced him. "Yeah, I did and yeah I needed to lend a hand somewhere and cleaning up seemed to be the obvious choice."

The silence drew out between them. Lorelai turned back to the dish rack. She was still keenly aware of Luke standing behind her just a few feet away.

"We still need to finish our talk," he began gently.

"I know."

"We need to figure out where we go from here."

She nodded. "I know."

"Lorelai."

She put down the dish towel and turned to face him again, looking directly into his eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"It isn't a question of just what I want," he stated. "We both have to want the same thing. If we don't, well…at least we'll know we can go on and be able to live in the same town without it being awkward."

"And what do you want?" she questioned him again.

He let out a long breath. "I miss you. I honestly thought when all was said and done here, that we would be through for good. But I miss you. So I don't think we are finished yet." He paused, "I'm pretty sure I'm still in love with you."

Lorelai hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until it came out in a whoosh. She felt elated, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to proceed with caution.

"Lorelai," he stepped closer, "what do you want?"

"Luke," she began tentatively, "I guess feelings like ours don't go away easily. I do still care about you. I do still love you…"

"But?" he moved even closer.

"I don't want to jump back into a relationship with you and have it be the way it was before. If it didn't work this time, I think it would kill me. And I think it would kill me more to hurt you again."

"I feel the same."

"We need to communicate more about the good stuff and the bad. Particularly the bad."

"I think we can do that," he replied. "One thing I am realizing is we are not the same people we were a year ago. If we were, we wouldn't be here today."

"Well you said it yourself: 'Things change'."

He gave a short laugh, hearing his own words come back to him. "So this means?"

"I need time. _We_ need time. Can we go slow?" Lorelai asked hesitantly. "Take our time getting close to one another again?"

"I can live with that," he smiled.

His arms slipped around her waist as he bent to kiss her, but her fingertips on his chest were holding him back. She shook her head.

"I can't even kiss you?" his voice was incredulous.

"Just not right now," she replied. She was afraid if he kissed her, they would end up together in one of the bunks and she wanted this time to be right. "I think we have been through enough for one day." She gently caressed his cheek. "Soon, just not now. Remember, slow."

"Okay." Luke took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Will you start coming back to the diner?"

She hesitated knowing if she did, she would have made her decision and both he and the town would know. There would be no turning back.

"I'll tell you what. As soon as I set foot in the diner, we can go full steam ahead."

"Nautical reference, very clever."

"It seemed appropriate."

"Okay. I won't push you. When you're ready, you're ready. I'll be waiting." They stood like that for a moment longer then Luke let her go.

"If you want to take off, it's okay. I need to clean up here."

"What else needs to be done?"

"Straighten up the bunks…"

"Done."

"Put away the dishes."

"Done." She finished putting the last few dishes away. Clearly she wanted to leave with him.

"Okay, I'll turn off the water and the gas and we can lock up and go."

"I'll meet you on deck." She smiled.

Luke quickly finished closing up the boat then climbed on the deck. Lorelai smiled at him as they stepped up onto the dock together. He walked her back to her car and helped her in. She closed the door and opened the window.

"Thank you for a lovely day," she said simply.

"I'm not sure I would call today 'lovely', but thank you for coming." He reached in and smoothed her hair way from her face. "I am glad we finally did this."

"Me, too." She squeezed his hand and he stepped back.

"See you at the diner soon?" he asked.

"Soon," she smiled.

Lorelai started the jeep and drove away. Luke stood and watched until she was out of sight then proceeded to his truck. He got in and sat for a moment, amazed about everything that had happened today. He wondered how long it would be before Lorelai turned up at the diner and what would happen when she did.

He grinned to himself and hoped it would be soon.

Very soon.

tbc


	2. Yale and the Christening

Ok, thanks to everyone who sent me a review both good and so-so. Generally the reviews were positive so I am definitely feelin' the love.

I never did hear from anyone about the names of Lane's twins so have a good laugh over what I came up with.

And yikes this is longer than the last one—and I ain't done with them yet!

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own them but like to see the play together! Hee.

Yale and the Christening

Lorelai walked down the aisle of Dosse's market. She was taking her time running errands before going to the Dragonfly. Ever since she came back on Sunday and told her what had happened, Sookie had been bombarding her with subtle and not-so-subtle hints about her going to the diner.

Each day she had gotten closer and closer to Luke's but still hadn't made an appearance.

Luke had stayed true to his word and obeyed her request. He hadn't called or shown up at the house--yet. Even though she hadn't seen him, she could almost physically feel the change between them. He was waiting. She knew it. She wanted to give them both the time they needed. He knew it. She was almost grateful she _hadn't_ seen him. If she had, her resolve to go slowly and doing things right might weaken. If she saw him….

"Hello, Lorelai."

Lorelai jumped and her shopping basket went crashing to the floor. She jerked out of her thoughts and turned around to face…Luke.

"Hi," she said breathlessly.

"You okay?" he asked. He seemed both concerned and amused by her reaction. He picked up the basket and handed it back to her.

She cringed inwardly, wishing she wasn't so klutzy every time she was around him. It reminded her of when their relationship first began to change from friendship to something more.

"I'm fine," she said brightly, "just…thinking." How in the heck did they keep showing up at the same place at the same time? She noticed he had a basket with a few items in it.

"Good," he gave her a tiny smile, hoping she had been thinking about them.

"What was that awful crash?" Taylor scurried down the aisle. As he spied the two of them he slowly came to a halt. "Oh, Luke…Lorelai."

"Taylor," Lorelai nodded.

Taylor looked from one to the other. "Is there a problem here?"

"No, Taylor, I just dropped my basket."

"Uh-huh," Taylor said skeptically. "Uh, you two aren't fighting here in the store are you?"

"Taylor," Luke literally growled at him, "we are not fighting. We just bumped into each other in your store."

"Well, maybe you two should stay in different aisles while you're here." Taylor couldn't recall seeing them speaking together for the past year so he was unsure of what the current state of affairs was between them. He had heard rumors for months but this was the first time he had seen them in one place. He didn't want to lose their patronage to his store, but he didn't want them to wreck it either.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "You are putting us in different aisles? Like putting us in corners?" she asked. After all this time, did the whole town think that they would come to blows?

"Just for your own good." Taylor said almost condescendingly.

"Taylor, so help me God…." Luke began. Everything they had said to each other about the townsfolk flashed through his mind. If Taylor, with his idiotic comments, somehow managed to get her to change her mind….

"No, its okay Luke," Lorelai heard herself interrupt as she spied Miss Patty walking into the store. "I am actually in a bit of a hurry." She caught his gaze and then moved her eyes in the direction of Miss Patty.

Luke followed her eyes, saw Patty and knew they only had about a minute before she would be coming over investigating, getting any information that she could gossip around town.

"Okay, then, well, I'll see you around," Luke said.

Lorelai walked to the next aisle and Luke turned to Taylor. "Get away from me Taylor," he warned. Taylor cautiously backed away and went to speak to Miss Patty.

Luke noticed Lorelai was still in the next aisle.

"Lorelai?" he whispered.

"Yeah, I'm still here," she replied quietly. She was staring at the breakfast cereals.

He grinned to himself, hoping he wasn't reading anything into her hanging around nearby. Then again, he hoped he was. "You, okay?"

"Yes," she said and Luke heard her sigh. "You were right about this town."

"Forget the town," he said. He was glad he at least got the chance to see her before one of the resident loons butted in.

"They aren't going to make it easy," she said in a low voice.

"I said forget the town. One of these days, we can tell them all to shut up and butt out." He let out a breath. "When are you coming back to the diner?"

Lorelai picked up a box and pretended to study the label. "I don't know. After Taylor…"

"Forget Taylor," Luke whispered back. "When?"

"Luke, I don't know. Soon."

"Lorelai…"

"Miss Patty at nine o'clock!" she whispered frantically. The last thing she wanted was another run-in with the townsfolk.

Before he could say anything else, Lorelai raised her voice "Hey Patty, how things going today?"

Luke walked down the aisle to the checkout before Patty could reply. He paid for his purchases, glowering at Taylor the whole time and left.

Lorelai watched him go, not realizing that Miss Patty was watching her watch Luke. After Taylor had told her that he found Luke and Lorelai in the same aisle, her antenna was twitching, knowing that she might be on to a juicy piece of gossip.

"So Lorelai dear, tell me how things _really_ are."

* * *

Rory walked out of her economics class, stuffing her notebook in her bag. She tried not to think of the mountain of homework ahead of her. She just wanted to grab a coffee, pick a spot where Paris wouldn't find her and relax.

As she neared the coffee cart, she was surprised to see her mother sitting on the bench nearby. Her head was down, contemplating her coffee cup.

"Mom!" Rory called, trotting over to where she sat. She was deep in thought and didn't raise her head. "Mom?"

"Hey kiddo," Lorelai looked up. She smiled at Rory. "I was in the neighborhood and—"

"What's wrong?" Rory asked concerned. "Is it Grandpa?"

"No, no, your Grandfather is fine." Lorelai reassured her. "I just wanted to see my kid."

"What's wrong?" From all outward appearances, she seemed ok, but something had to be bothering her for her to visit without warning in the middle of a Wednesday.

"Nothing is wrong. Rory, I just really need to talk to you. Can we go to your apartment?"

"Paris…"

"Okay, how about the cafeteria?"

"Fine," Rory said, concerned. She led Lorelai to the cafeteria, where they got coffee and sat down.

"Mom," Rory said panicking. "I am freaking out here. Something is definitely up."

"It's just, well, I missed you kid," Lorelai confessed. "I know you have a lot to do and I want you to know how proud I am of you and…."

I've missed you too, Mom," Rory said. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. I promise we'll spend some real quality time this weekend before the christening."

"You have a lot on your plate right now. I understand that. I just really need to talk to you _now_ and this is a conversation that I didn't want to have over the phone."

"Mom," Rory touched her hand. "Talk."

Lorelai smiled at her daughter. Rory was daughter, friend, confidante all rolled into one.

"I need your advice, I guess. It's Luke."

"Luke?" Rory said in surprise.

"Yes. I know if I set foot in the diner, we'll get back together again and…."

"Uh, Mom," Rory said uncertainly, not sure if she should remind her that they had broken up, "I think I am missing something here. What makes you think Luke wants to get back together again?"

"Well, that's what he said on Sunday."

"What?" Rory's voice rose to high pitch. Several students from other tables looked in her direction. "What happened on Sunday? Blanks. As in fill in, please. Start at the beginning."

Lorelai proceeded telling her what had transpired from when she ran into Luke at the marina, to their test run of the boat and finally, their chance encounter at the market that very morning. She didn't leave a thing out. "And now, he's waiting for me, to come back to the diner, but I am scared. I need time to be sure it's right. If we get back together and it doesn't work this time…."

"Mom, its Luke. You and Luke." She shook her head. "Wow. Just when I think things can't get any more dramatic, they do."

"That's me," Lorelai quipped. "Drama queen of Connecticut."

"Mom…" Rory chided.

"Okay, okay," Lorelai said. "I just don't want to leap before I look. If it doesn't work out this time, I'll," Lorelai paused, "well I don't know what I'll do but I know it will be drastic."

"Mom," Rory remonstrated. "Stop it. You came to me to sort things out. Okay, let's start sorting."

"Oh my god," Lorelai groaned, "I walked right into this, didn't I? I am actually encouraging you to make up—"

"—a pro-con list." Rory finished for her. "Ooh, I haven't had a chance to do this in a while." She whipped open a notebook and made up a "Pro" and "Con" headings on a page. "Which do you want to take on first?"

Lorelai paused. "Con. Let's get the negative out of the way first."

"Ok, go ahead."

"Well," Lorelai began, "we've failed the last two times we were together."

"Not necessarily," Rory corrected. "Grandma was behind your first break up and a lack of communication was behind your second. It sounds like you guys have covered that one." Rory eyed her mother. "Of course, they say: Third time's a charm."

"Speaking of your Grandma, she is bound to be against us."

"Not necessarily," Rory corrected again. "She did go to Luke that time and tell him she wouldn't get in the way. She and Grandpa planned on buying you and Luke that house as a wedding present."

"Ok, maybe," Lorelai conceded then she grew quiet. "There's still your Dad. He may not be in your life right now, but sooner or later he will be back. Luke once said he thought he would always have a problem with him. He's your father and now he's my ex-husband."

"Well, okay, you have a point there," Rory agreed quietly. "Do you have any issues with April?"

"April, no. Anna, yes. She was pretty adamant about who spent time with April."

"Yeah, but now Luke has partial custody. I don't think she can dictate those types of terms anymore. What else?"

"Stars Hollow?" Lorelai asked. "As much as I love living in a small town, we can't make a move without one of them knowing about it."

"But that will all change, once you and Luke are together."

Lorelai eyed her daughter suspiciously. "You seem pretty positive about this."

"I am. And since we being positive, let's hit the Pros." She looked at her mother expectantly.

"Yes, I still love him," she answered her daughter's look. "And he still loves me." Lorelai grew thoughtful. "I love his strength, the support he has always given me. I love that he has always been great with you. I love that he may not always get where I am coming from, but he's willing to play along." Lorelai grinned, "Of course, I love the coffee, the fact that he's willing to feed me, and even though it will offend your ears, I love the---"

"Mom, don't! Eww gross!" Rory said appalled, knowing where the conversation was going.

"Hey, you wanted the Pros. That's a Pro. A big one," Lorelai said impishly.

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay," Lorelai stopped tormenting her daughter and grew serious again. "He'd be a wonderful father, jam hands and all."

Rory was furiously writing and let out a little laugh. "That one doesn't need explaining."

"So how did we do?" Lorelai peered at the notebook. Rory had faithfully written down each point under each column and had drawn lines through the Cons they had ruled out. Only Christopher remained on the negative side. The Pro list, however, was much longer. She looked at Rory when she saw her name at the bottom of the Pro list.

"You're on the Pro list," she stated.

"Yeah, what can I say? I'm all for it."

"Thanks kiddo." Lorelai hugged her.

"So when are you going back to the diner?" Rory asked.

"That is the question of the hour," Lorelai replied. She looked at her daughter. "I don't know. I'll go when it feels right."

"Okay," Rory agreed, knowing she didn't want to push her mother into anything, "when it feels right."

* * *

The next evening, Rory had just closed her last text book, finished with studying for the night when there was a knock on the door. Before she could even move, Paris shot out of her bedroom and moved swiftly to the door.

"Okay, I have spent all day fending off these losers who have to come to the door at all hours and I have had enough!" She stopped in front of the closed door. "Whoever you are, whatever you're selling, passing out, delivering or just plain casing the place, we don't want any. You hear me?" She yelled. "Scram!"

"Uh, hello," a muffled voice said, "do I have to leave if I want to visit with one of you?"

Paris flung open the door, but Rory couldn't see who was there. "Oh," Paris voice returned to normal, "I guess." She turned to face Rory.

Rory stood up, wondering who was there. The visitor stepped inside.

Her father.

"Oh. Dad." She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to talk to him.

Christopher stood uncomfortably under his daughter's gaze. "Can I talk to you?"

Paris grabbed her purse from the table by the door. "I need to head out anyway," she said, obviously making an excuse for them to talk in private. She shut the door and left.

"Should she be going out this late at night?" Christopher asked.

"It's Paris." Rory replied shortly. "She's like a Doberman. She'll be fine."

"Umm, okay." Christopher stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Uh, how are you?"

"How am I?" Rory repeated in disbelief. Something inside her snapped. "Gee, Dad, I am just peachy-keen! My Dad just suddenly shows up again like nothing ever happened after abandoning me and my Mother. I am great! Now leave!"

"Wait Rory—"

"No! We needed you when Grandpa had his heart attack and you were no where to be found. You were off sulking somewhere like a little kid!"

"I'm sorry—"

"Sorry doesn't cut it, Dad! You can make up for this. You can't make up for a lot of things! You've proven time and again that you can't be there for us!"

"Look, I don't know what your Mother told you…."

"She didn't tell me anything I didn't already know!"

"How is she?"

"No! You don't get to ask! You don't get to know! Not now, maybe not ever!"

"I am not here to upset you," Christopher began.

"Really? Not here to upset me? Well I _am_ upset. Not here to ask about Mom?" Rory stepped forward "Then why did you come here?"

"I wanted to talk to you," Christopher paused, "about your Mother's letter."

"What?" Rory asked in surprise, some of her anger fading.

"Her letter to the court. The one she wrote for Luke."

Rory stood there dumbfounded.

"You do know what was in the letter, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Rory mumbled. She had no idea why he was bringing this up.

"Can we sit down?" Christopher asked.

Rory gestured towards the couch and she sat back down in her study chair.

"Look, Rory, over the years I have done a lot of stupid things. Now, _especially now_, I am finally realizing the full consequences of my actions." Christopher looked down at his hands. "I wasn't there for your mother. I wasn't there for you. I thought when your mom and I finally got married, we'd be a family and everything would be perfect. I was wrong. I pushed your mother into it and then I realized I couldn't be the kind of husband she deserved."

"Dad…."

"No. I have made the worst mistakes of my life with you and your mother. I'm not here to ask for forgiveness. I just wanted to know…."

"What?" Rory urged.

"Was Luke as great to you as your mother said in her letter?" He stared into her eyes.

Rory was surprised by the question. It wasn't a question she ever expected him to ask. Even though she was still angry with him, she was suddenly dreading the fact that she would hurt him. She paused then realized he needed to hear this. "Yeah, Luke was great." She smiled at the memories. "He'd make me special breakfasts on every first day of school and on my birthday. He'd let me spread my books out over the tables in the diner. He made me mashed potatoes when I had chicken pox. He even came to the funeral I had for my caterpillar."

Christopher let out a slow breath. "So he was like the perfect Dad?"

Rory smiled. "No, I don't think there is such a thing. And it's not like he did everything perfectly," Rory laughed. "I still have a box full of unicorns and monogrammed towels he gave me as presents."

Christopher smiled at her, but the smile was sad. "But you saved them. He was like a real Dad to you."

"Yeah, he was," Rory said with a wistful smile, remembering. "He was there for birthday parties, Christmases, special occasions. It wasn't anything special he did, he was just…there."

Rory looked over at her father, but he was staring at down at the floor.

"Dad, I don't mean to hurt you," Rory began.

"You didn't Rory. I did this to myself," Christopher said regretfully. "I'm just glad now that you and your mother had someone to depend on when you were growing up. You sure couldn't depend on me," he said under his breath.

"Dad, don't beat yourself up about this now," Rory begged. "Besides, you have your do-over with Gigi. It sounds like you have learned from your mistakes. Make it up to me by being a great Dad to her."

"Wow," Christopher said proudly, "you are really _something_."

"Mom raised me well," Rory admitted.

"And Luke." Christopher added.

"And Luke." Rory agreed.

Christopher paused uncomfortably for a moment. "Are they…have they, you know…gotten back together? Your mom and Luke?"

"Dad…" Rory began shaking her head.

"It's not what you think kiddo. I just want to see you and your mother happy. I realize now, I am not a part of that equation."

"Dad, I don't know." Rory would not betray her mother's confidence. "All I can say is 'I hope so.'"

Christopher smiled at her, a genuine smile. "I hope so too. Well," he said getting up, "it's getting late, I better let you get some rest."

Rory walked him to the door. "Bye, Dad." She impulsively gave him a hug.

"You know I am here for you now right?" Christopher asked as he hugged her back, amazed that this incredible person was a child of his. "It's taken me a while but I think I have finally gotten with the program."

"You have, and I know." Rory agreed.

"One more thing: Tell you mother, don't tell your mother, it's up to you. I think it's going to be a while before I work up the nerve to see her."

"I am thinking no, but we'll see." Rory allowed. "I don't want to upset her."

"Okay. Night." Christopher headed down the stairs.

"Dad," Rory called after him, "if you see Paris, send her back up."

"Are you kidding?" Christopher said, "I am counting on her to protect me until I get into the car."

"Night, Dad."

Rory closed the door and wandered back to her study chair. She was astonished at the conversation she had just had with her father. Finally it seemed like he was behaving like a father. Time would tell.

She spied her notebook that she had written the pro-con list in. She flipped open the cover and stared at the list for a moment. She picked up a pen and drew a line through her father's name. She nodded to herself and closed the notebook.

* * *

"So what are we going to do about Grandpa?" Rory asked as they walked down the street.

"I don't know, your guess is a good as mine," Lorelai shrugged, glancing into windows as they walked by. "Clearly he doesn't want to go back to work yet. We have to come up with something devious; we have to trick him into wanting to go back to a dreary day job that's only purpose is to suck all the fun out of life."

"I don't think Grandpa thinks his job sucks the fun out of life," Rory replied.

"Hey, he's an insurance man, how much fun can they be?" Lorelai shot back. "Here we are," Lorelai said as they entered Stars Hollow's one and only dress shop. The door chimed as they entered. "We'll check out what they have here first then head to the mall."

They both walked over to dress racks and started looking through the selections. Nothing looked promising.

"So far you've been masterfully steering the conversation away from the question of the hour: The diner. I assume you haven't been to Luke's yet."

"Not yet."

"We could have gone there for breakfast instead of Weston's or maybe lunch today."

"We have enough going on with the christening. I have to be back at the Dragonfly to greet a wedding party. When I go to Luke's, I want to spend as much time as I need to, the first time. I don't want to squeeze it into a schedule. No, it's been awhile since we've hit the food court. We'll do that later."

Kirk walked out from the back of the shop, carrying a dress.

"Ah, yes, ladies," he said in his best shop-clerk voice, "just let me take care of my customer and I'll be right with you."

Lorelai and Rory looked around the store, not surprised to see him there. Kirk pretty much worked everywhere. It appeared empty. "What customer?"

Kirk knocked on a dressing room door then lifted the dress over. "Try this one, April."

Lorelai froze. April was here? "April?" She asked weakly.

April came out of the dressing room, dressed in her regular street clothes.

"Hi Lorelai, Rory," she said as she handed the dresses back to Kirk. "I didn't like any of them and this last one—yuck."

"I didn't know you were in town," Lorelai admitted. "How are you?"

"Great," April replied. "I got lucky that the twins' christening fell on a weekend I was scheduled to be here. Dad promised me a new dress. He sent me on ahead. He should be here any minute."

Almost on cue, the door chimed and they all turned to see Luke walk into the shop. He stopped short when he saw the three of them together. Once again, their freakish sense of timing brought them together.

"Hey," he said smiling at Lorelai.

"Hi," Lorelai said, suddenly breathless.

Rory watched as Luke stared at Lorelai. She was pretty sure he had forgotten about her and April at that moment.

"Ah, hi Rory," Luke said finally dragging his eyes away from Lorelai to Rory and finally over to April, "Any luck?"

"No," April said, disappointed.

"Well," Kirk chimed in, "I think the green dress would work with the right shoes and handbag…."

Lorelai snorted in amusement. "We didn't have any luck either," she admitted. "We're going to check out the mall."

"Really?" April asked. She looked at Luke then decided to take the plunge. "Do you have room for one more?"

"April!" Luke exclaimed at her forwardness. "I can take you later."

"No," Lorelai heard herself say, "April can come along if she wants and if it's okay with you." Lorelai looked expectantly back at Luke.

"Well," the possibilities this opened up were too good to pass up, "I can't come with you now; I just took a quick break from the diner to check on you." He looked at Lorelai. "You'd really be doing me a favor."

"Consider it done." Lorelai stated suddenly feeling very elated. Luke was allowing her to spend time with April.

Luke grinned at her then pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "Here," he said, handing her a credit card. "Don't go overboard," he said remembering the last time he had sent her out with his credit card to shop.

Lorelai took the card. "It looks new."

"You wore the numbers off the last one." He shot back accusingly. He took the card from her and gave it to April. "Maybe it safer here."

Both April and Rory laughed.

"And maybe when you're done buying out the mall you can come back to the diner for lunch." He looked pointedly at Lorelai.

Lorelai looked a little uncomfortable. "I have to be at the Inn this afternoon. We might not make it."

"Try," he said as he turned to go back to the diner. "Have fun ladies!"

* * *

"Ooh, that looks nice. Try it on!" April exclaimed.

"I've got a couple too." Rory chimed in.

"I think I am sticking with this one. I love the color."

April and Rory headed off to the dressing room area while Lorelai held the dress up in front of her. It was a beautiful blue shade that made her eyes look even bluer than they normally were. Lorelai turned back to the rack and spied a dress. She checked the size, then grabbed it and walked to the dressing room area.

"April? Here, I think this one will look great on you."

"Thanks Lorelai." April pulled the dress over the door.

Rory came out of the dressing room, wearing one of her selections. "How do I look?"

"Very godmotherly," Lorelai replied in a mock serious tone.

"Godmotherly?" Rory questioned.

"Yeah, I think I should kiss your ring."

"Too bad I'm not wearing one at the moment," Rory replied. She went back to change. "I think I'll get this one."

April walked out in the dress Lorelai picked out.

"Wow, you look great!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think this is the dress for me." April stood in front of the mirror, turning around to look at herself from all angles.

"And you can wear your hair like this," Lorelai gathered her hair up at the sides so April had a curly fall of hair. "Just pin it up right here." She showed her how to secure it.

"Cool," April agreed.

Rory emerged fully dressed and looked at April. "Hey you look nice."

"Yep, it's a winner," Lorelai proclaimed as she let go of April's hair. "Go ahead and change and we'll meet you at the register."

"Thanks, Lorelai," April said.

Lorelai and Rory walked out of the dressing room area and up to the sales clerk. "We'll take these," Lorelai said smiling. They followed the clerk to the register. The clerk busied herself folding the dresses then stepped away for a moment. Rory observed her mother, still smiling.

"You look happy," Rory commented.

"It's been a good day," Lorelai returned. "I'm glad we had a chance to do this, all three of us."

"April's cool."

"Yeah, she is a great kid." Lorelai shook her head. "What a difference a year makes."

"How so?"

"Last year, Luke would have totally refused to let me even be around when he had April, let alone let me take her shopping by myself. Yeah, I think we have turned a corner here."

"Ah, there is your other daughter," the clerk said coming back over to them.

Lorelai and Rory turned to see April standing behind them looking startled.

"Ah, good you're ready," Lorelai stammered. She had been shocked when the clerk called April her daughter. She wondered how long April had been standing there.

"Actually this one will be paid for separately," April said quietly.

Lorelai and Rory exchanged glances as the clerk finished ringing up their transaction. The clerk rang up April's dress and they left the store.

"April?" Lorelai questioned softly. "You okay?"

"Yeah," April replied.

"You know how salesclerks can be. They automatically assume everyone is one big happy family."

"No, its fine," April assured her. "I just think I need to talk to my Dad about some stuff."

Lorelai and Rory exchanged glances again. "Rory, gives us a minute?"

Rory nodded and walked away to investigate a nearby kiosk.

"April, talk to me."

"Was I the reason you and my Dad broke up?"

"Oh, hon, _no_." Lorelai stated emphatically.

"I heard you say that Dad didn't want you around me."

"April, I think you should talk to your Dad about this first, but you are _not_ the reason we broke up." Lorelai smiled at her. "I think you are a terrific kid and I have really enjoyed the time we spent together today and last year at your birthday party."

"But you said Dad refused to let you be around."

"He did," Lorelai admitted, "but not for the reasons you might think. April, this is an important issue and you need to talk to your Dad about this. If you want to talk to me about it afterward, he can tell you where to find me."

"Okay," April decided.

"C'mon, let's get Rory and hit the food court!" They both started walking over to Rory

"You really eat all that junk?" April asked screwing up her face in disgust.

"I'm sure we can find something healthy for you." Lorelai shook her head. "Man, you really _are_ your father's daughter."

* * *

"Dude, this is gonna be the best party!" Zach exclaimed as he walked behind the counter of the diner. "I am so jazzed."

Yeah, you look it," Luke replied as he passed an order back to Cesar.

"Yeah, each night I tell little Michael and Steven that we are gonna party!"

"Uh huh," Luke stared at Zach. Sometimes Zach just seemed like a big goofy kid rather than the father of two.

"Yeah, they both kind of yawned at me when I told them. Of course, I was rocking them to sleep at the time."

Luke smiled at him. Zach's dad mode was a little sporadic, but it was kicking in.

"You never did tell me how you ended up with those names," Luke said.

"Well Steven for Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and Michael for Mick Jagger of the Stones. We decided to we were gonna have rock and roll kids," Zach replied. "Oh but dude," Zach's voice dropped conspiratorially, "don't tell Lane's mom. She thinks we named them after saints."

"O-kay," Luke said slowly and shook his head.

The bell on the diner door chimed and Luke looked up to see April walk in alone carrying a couple of shopping bags.

"Hey," he said both surprised and confused, "I thought you all were coming back here for lunch." He looked out the window to see Rory behind the wheel of the jeep, looking in. She gave him a small wave and drove off.

"Lorelai had to be at the Inn, so Rory dropped her off first and then me," April replied. She gave Luke a sort of half smile then walked behind the curtain without another word.

"Zach…" Luke began.

"Dude, I am on it. Take your time," Zach said knowing Luke needed to talk to April.

Luke quickly mounted the stairs and entered the apartment to find April laying out her dress on the bed. He barely glanced at it.

"What happened?" he asked in dread.

"Nothing really," April replied. "I just need to ask you something."

"Go ahead," Luke wondered what was coming.

"Was I the reason you and Lorelai broke up?"

Luke was speechless for a moment. "Did Lorelai tell you that?" he asked gently.

"No," April said, "but I overheard her and Rory saying that you didn't want her around me last year."

"April, sit down," Luke said, keeping his anger under control.

"It's just that she was there for my party then she was gone. When my mom told me you had broken up, she didn't say what the reason was."

"What did Lorelai tell you?" he asked.

"She told me I wasn't the reason and I believe her, but she told me it was important that I talk to you about it first."

Luke felt his anger drain out of him. "April," he said with difficulty, "when you came into my life, I was totally unprepared. I was engaged to Lorelai and well, you've met Rory; she grew up with her Dad never being around." Luke pushed on. "I was angry at Rory's Dad for not being there for her, and here I was, not knowing you even existed and I wasn't there for you."

"That wasn't your fault Dad," April reminded him gently.

"Still, when I found out about you, I realized I wanted us to have a good father-daughter relationship. I thought this was something we needed to do, just the two of us."

"But not with Lorelai?"

"You gotten know her now; she is a force of nature. She's pretty hard to ignore once she's in your life and I wanted us," he gestured to April and himself, "to have the chance to get to know each other before I brought Lorelai in. I wanted us to have that father-daughter relationship so you'd want to come to see me, not Lorelai. She felt shut out of both our relationship and the chance to build a relationship with you. It was my fault that you two didn't spend more time together." He did not add the fact that Anna had shut Lorelai out as well. He would not play April against her mother because he knew she needed them both.

"Oh, Dad," April flung her arms around Luke's neck. "I've been coming here to see you. I have always wanted to see you and get to know you. You asked mom to be a part of my life and I want to be a part of yours. It doesn't matter who else is there, I'm here to be with you and I love you. Lorelai being around isn't going to change that."

Luke hugged his daughter. "I love you, April."

Eventually they pulled away from each other. "About Lorelai," Luke began, "how would you feel if she was back in my life, permanently?"

April looked at her father. "Are you seeing her again?"

"Well we're taking it slow, but I hope we are headed in that direction."

"I like Lorelai and Rory. As long as she doesn't hurt you, I think I can get used to the idea."

"Okay," Luke said relieved. "Now why don't you hang up that dress, which is very pretty by the way."

"Lorelai picked it out." April handed him back his credit card.

"Still has the numbers on it," he continued in relief. "Hang it up and can you go down and help Zach refill, ah, whatever needs refilling?"

"Sure Dad."

"I'll be back shortly. I have an errand to run."

* * *

Lorelai walked out of the dining room as Luke walked into the Inn. He saw her immediately.

"Can we talk somewhere?" he asked quietly.

Lorelai's heart sank. She had spent the afternoon worrying about April and now with Luke standing here demanding to speak to her, all of her fears were confirmed. She was afraid of what he would say. She led him to her office and closed the door, and indicated that he take a chair and sat next to him, rather than sit behind her desk.

"What were you thinking talking about our break-up in front of April?"

Lorelai paused. Her heart was sinking but she realized that Luke didn't sound as mad as she expected him to be.

"I didn't realize she was there," Lorelai admitted. "I was telling Rory how happy I was that you finally let me spend some time with her. That everything was going to be okay." She studied him closely. "You talked to her when she got back?"

"Yes, we had a long-overdue conversation, about how I am trying to be a good father and why I kept the two of you apart last year." He looked over at her. "We also talked about you and the future."

Lorelai caught her breath. She had expected him to be angry, very angry. "I thought you would be mad," she admitted.

"I was, but I realized April and I needed to talk about things, just like you and I did."

"So everything is okay?" Lorelai asked in disbelief.

"Seems that way," Luke confirmed.

A soft knock on the door sounded and Michel opened the door without waiting for an answer.

"Lorelai, the father of the bride—" He stopped when he saw Luke. "Ah, Flannel Man has returned to the Dragonfly."

"Michel," Lorelai stood up, "tell him I will be there in a minute okay?"

Michel left. Luke stood up too. "You're busy and I need to get back to the diner."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." She led him out of her office.

"Tomorrow, then." Luke turned and left.

Lorelai breathed a sigh of relief but it was short-lived. Sookie came racing out of the kitchen and grabbed her arm. Lorelai turned to her, concerned.

"Tell me the two of you did it on your desk!"

"Sookie!"

* * *

Lorelai and Rory walked towards the church. "When is Logan supposed to arrive?"

"He should be here any minute."

"I'm surprised he didn't come yesterday."

"Well, I told him we needed some mother daughter time." Rory confessed sheepishly. "Which we did."

Lorelai linked her arm with Rory's. "Ah I am so happy I have my own sounding board whenever I need it. You've been the voice of reason these past few days."

"Hey it works both ways." Rory countered.

"Lorelai!" A voice called.

They looked up to see April and Luke standing in front of the church. April waved. Lorelai smiled, glad that April seemed to be more comfortable than she had been yesterday.

"Hi!" Lorelai greeted them. April looked pretty in her new dress and she had done her hair the way Lorelai suggested the day before. And Luke, whereas she always liked him in flannel, definitely looked very good in a suit even though she knew he probably wasn't comfortable. "You two clean up real good!"

Mrs. Kim rushed up to them. "Good. You are here. We get started now." She looked at the four of them in surprise. "You come together?"

"No, we're just standing here talking," Luke had not taken his eyes off Lorelai.

"We start now."

"Logan…" Rory whispered to her mother.

"There he is," Lorelai reassured her daughter as Logan jogged up.

"Sorry I'm late Ace," Logan apologized.

"You're here now," Rory grinned happily. "You know Luke and this is his daughter April."

"Nice to meet you." They shook hands.

"Start now!" Mrs. Kim demanded.

As they headed into the church, Luke caught Lorelai's arm. "Is it okay that April sits with you?"

Knowing that the majority of the town was inside and bound to speculate on this latest development, Lorelai wondered if it would be such a good idea. She looked up at him, not realizing how close they were to each other. "Uh, sure," she mumbled, unable to deny his request.

Luke nodded at April and he and Rory headed inside together, leaving Lorelai, Logan and April to enter together.

Lorelai literally felt the weight of the town's eyes on her as the three of them marched up the aisle to the row where Sookie had saved their seats. She sat next to Sookie, April sat next to her and Logan sat on the aisle. Sookie looked at her knowingly with a question in her eyes.

"Stop that," Lorelai whispered, nudging her in the side. Sookie just smirked.

The ceremony was lovely. Both Rory and Luke held one of the babies. Lane and Zach stood nearby beaming proudly at their children. Rory smiled at her mother and then looked to Logan, who was watching her every move. He winked at her and her smile got bigger.

Luke stood holding the baby, he wasn't sure which one, and looked out into the congregation and saw April and Lorelai sitting together. He was oblivious to anyone else in the church; he only saw the two of them. He caught Lorelai's gaze and smiled at her. He could tell from where he was standing that she was blushing and he smiled more broadly. April leaned toward Lorelai and whispered something to her. Luke saw her nod and before he had a chance to wonder what April had said, the minister began speaking and he turned his attention back to the christening and his role as godfather.

* * *

"Zach and I want to thank all of you for coming," Lane addressed the crowd her arm around Zach. "It means a lot to us that so many of you are here and have helped out. Twins can be a handful!" The crowd murmured in agreement. "We still have plenty of food left. Please enjoy yourselves!" She and Zach moved around their table.

"It was a lovely service," Lorelai told her.

"I know," Lane agreed. "I was just happy the boys cooperated." She looked around the table. Rory was holding Steven and Luke had Michael on his lap. Lane and Zach moved off to another table to speak to their guests.

Lorelai watched Rory play with Steven while Logan, tickled the boy under his chin. He giggled. Next to her April was holding a stuffed animal up to Michael while Luke gently bounced him. The boys were too cute.

"Mom," Rory whispered to her, sounding panicked. Logan had gone off to get drinks.

Lorelai leaned over. "What?"

"I think little Steven here took a dump."

Lorelai tried not to laugh. "Well, now that you're officially the godmother, you should go ahead and change him."

"Mom!" Rory hissed in terror. "I can't do this and I can't do it in front of Logan. Please?"

"Give him back to Lane."

"Mom, how's it gonna look if I hand him back to Lane just to change him?"

"How's it gonna look if you pass him off to me?"

"Not as bad," Rory decided.

Lorelai relented as she watched her daughter's distress mount.

"Fine," she said resignedly, "but you owe me—big."

"Thanks mom." She handed the boy over to Rory.

"Hey, little man," Lorelai cooed to the now-fussing baby. "Uh-oh," she said in mock surprise. "I think you've got a little surprise for me."

Lorelai got up and went over to the changing table that had been set up. She set the baby down and proceeded to undo his diaper. "Oh god," she said horrified, "you _really_ went all out for Auntie Lorelai." She proceeded to clean up the baby.

"Uh move over," Luke said, "I think we have an emergency here. Unless you want to change him?" Luke asked hopefully.

"Nope, you break it, you bought it pal." Lorelai stated.

"Fine, move over," Luke said and they shared the changing table. He undid the diaper. "Aww jeez, what do these kids eat?"

"Knowing Mrs. Kim, it's probably something soy-free or maybe wheat germ."

"God, it stinks." Luke complained. He started cleaning up the baby.

"Suck it up, you're almost there." Lorelai urged him on. She finished putting on the diaper.

"Here," she leaned over and helped him finish. "There that wasn't that bad."

She picked up the baby and watched him do the same. "Pretty good for a rookie." She trailed off looking at Luke hold the baby. He seemed so natural doing it. "For someone who claims he can't stand babies, you're doing a pretty good job."

Luke shrugged and smiled at her. He had to admit she looked very much at home holding a baby too.

"You guys," Lane rushed up, "changing the boys is way beyond the call of duty."

"Man, you guys look like 'Leave it to Beaver' land," Gil came up to them. "You guys look like a family portrait! Awesome!"

"Gil." Lane said horrified noticing how uncomfortable both Luke and Lorelai had suddenly become.

"Seriously Lane, who are the parents here?" Gil went on.

"Zach…" Lane called out desperately.

"Hey dude," Zach steered Gil away, "your old lady was telling me about your oldest making…." Zach pulled Gil out of earshot.

"I'm sorry," Lane apologized.

Lorelai handed the baby back to her. She looked up and saw several tables watching them with interest. She didn't look at Luke. She let out a long breath and gave Lane a weak smile. "Don't worry about it."

Lorelai went back to the table. April had moved over a seat and was talking to Rory. She sat in April's chair. Luke stood talking to Lane. After a few minutes, Zach came over and took the baby from him. He wandered back to the table and sat next to her.

"Well, that was…different." Luke said quietly.

"We set ourselves up," Lorelai shook her head then looked at him. "What are we going to do about this town?"

"Mom," Rory interrupted, leaning forward. "Logan and I need to go back. We should be leaving soon."

Lorelai realized she had better say her farewells too. "Okay."

"Rory," April said, "what about that book you were going to loan me?"

"Oh, right. We can run over to my house now and I'll get it for you."

"Looks like we'll be saying our good-byes too." Luke observed. "C'mon April."

They bid their farewells and both Luke and Lorelai were aware that a number of people watched them leave. Logan said good-bye to them and got in his car to start back. As they walked to Lorelai's house, April and Rory walked ahead, leaving Luke and Lorelai to walk alone.

Lorelai was surprised at the companionable silence. She felt no awkwardness and actually enjoyed the leisurely stroll to the house.

As they mounted the steps, Luke told April, "Just get the book and we have to leave. Rory has to be at school and I have to open the diner early tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad"

Lorelai opened the door and Rory immediately led April to her room. Luke and Lorelai waited in the foyer.

"They get along well together, even with the age difference." Lorelai observed.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Thank you for taking her out to get her dress. I would have never survived a trip to the mall to go dress shopping."

"Oh, I think you would have" Lorelai said, "for April. She looks great."

Luke smiled. "She looks beautiful." He wasn't aware that he had moved closer to Lorelai. "But then again, so do you."

Lorelai turned to face him, suddenly realizing they were standing too close together. Without conscious thought, Luke placed his hands on her waist and drew her close. Lorelai placed her hands on his chest as he bent to kiss her.

Lorelai's head spun; her toes curled and then she was kissing him back. Her hands slipped up to his shoulders and one slipped into his hair as they sank into the kiss, gently exploring and delighting in each other. Luke pulled her even closer as the world seemed to fall away from them and all that mattered was this kiss.

"Okay, Dad I—" April stopped short and Rory was right behind her. They gaped for all of about a second, but it was clear that their parents were too involved with each other to notice anyone else. Rory pulled her back into her room. Rory and April eyed each other in silence.

"This could get interesting." April commented, realizing that her father was _very_ serious about Rory's mother.

"You have no idea."

Finally Luke and Lorelai broke the kiss and immediately Luke leaned his forehead against Lorelai's. Both of them kept their eyes closed.

"Wow," she said trying to catch her breath.

"You can say that again," he said equally breathless.

"Wow."

Neither of them moved, they just stood holding one another, foreheads touching, eyes closed. Lorelai enjoyed the quiet comfort of his embrace and she knew Luke was enjoying it too. Suddenly, thought returned.

"Ah, I can't be sure, but I think we were busted by our kids," she said.

"Ah, jeez," Luke pulled back embarrassed that either of them had witnessed such an intimate kiss. He stepped back from Lorelai and turned to the door.

"April!" he called out. "Time to go!"

"Okay, Dad!" They heard them coming down the hall from Rory's room. Lorelai tried to keep from blushing like a teenager.

Luke looked casually over his shoulder and nodded to Rory. "Say good night April."

"Good night, April," she joked.

"Funny." He opened the door.

"Thanks again Lorelai, for all your help this weekend. Thanks Rory."

"Goodnight," Lorelai called as they walked down the steps. She closed the door.

"Well, well, well," Rory said triumphantly. "We can't leave you two alone for a moment!"

"Stop," Lorelai said but she found herself grinning like a moonstruck girl. "Don't you have to be back at school?"

"Oh I can stick around to for the details…."

"No."

"So when are you going back to the diner?"

Lorelai considered. "Looks like tomorrow is the big day."

* * *

"So, Dad, I guess you had a good time today?" April asked as they walked back into town.

"Ah," he wasn't sure about her tone. "Yeah, the christening was fun."

April glanced at her father and chuckled. "I wasn't talking about the christening, Dad. I was talking about Lorelai's."

"What?" he tried to shrug it off as a casual thing. "It was a harmless peck. No big deal."

"Dad, you are wearing her lipstick."

"Ah, jeez." He tried to wipe it away as April laughed.

tbc


	3. Luke's

Thanks for all your wonderful reviews.

Damn this is long. Get comfy before you start this chapter.

Please don't kill me.

Read the note at the end. I am gonna need some serious reviews here both good and bad.

Once again, don't own em, never will, just like to see them play with each other. Hee.

Luke's

Lorelai checked her reflection in the mirror in the foyer. She smoothed her hair carefully and adjusted the collar of her blouse. She had gotten up earlier than usual and took special care picking out her outfit, wanting to look her best. She primped a little more, pushing her hair behind her ears. She admired her earrings and the necklace, the ones Luke had given her. She had always liked the jewelry and was happy to be able to wear the pieces again with no bad memories. She turned and looked at the spot where Luke had kissed her last night. She grinned as she realized they seemed to always end up kissing in the foyer or the porch of the Dragonfly.

Lorelai closed the door behind her and walked across the porch and down the steps. She was still grinning.

"Hey, Sugah," Babette called from her front porch. She was still in her robe. "Boy, aren't you all dolled up today. What's the occasion?"

"Just a Monday, Babette," Lorelai called back to her. She waved as she headed toward town, a jaunty bounce to her step.

Babette watched Lorelai walk down the street. As soon as she was out of earshot, Babette turned to shout inside. "Morey, get me the phone!" she hollered. "This is it! Battle-stations!"

* * *

Lorelai quickly made her way into town. Her thoughts lending speed to her feet. She couldn't wait to see him. After last night, she was pretty sure he was expecting her.

As she was coming up to Dosse's market she looked ahead to the diner. She could see Luke's truck parked out front. She had only walked a few more steps when Luke himself came out of the diner.

She almost called to him at that moment then she noticed he was putting a suitcase in the back of the truck. Lorelai slowed her steps watching him. He turned back to the diner and April walked out. Lorelai stopped in her tracks. She watched April get into the passenger seat and Luke get behind the wheel and drive off.

Lorelai stood there until the truck was out of sight, feeling a numbing sensation in the pit of her stomach. Luke obviously was taking April to the airport, but she couldn't fight off the disappointment that took hold of her. She had been so sure, so ready….

_Well, she thought, there is always later._ Lorelai turned around and had only walked a few steps before seeing Miss Patty standing in her usual spot by the magazine stand, pretending that she wasn't watching her. As Lorelai approached Patty, she could see the sympathy in the older woman's eyes but for once Patty said nothing.

"Have a good one Patty," Lorelai mumbled as she went by her.

Miss Patty began to slowly turn as Lorelai walked past. She felt sad watching Lorelai once again make a morning journey to Weston's.

* * *

As Lorelai went about her duties at the Inn, her spirits plummeted further. It seemed that everything was ganging up on her. She couldn't walk into a room without being accosted by a staff member with a crisis or a guest inquiring about activities around the town or Sookie agonizing over the daily menu. The morning wheeled into the afternoon then early evening before she could finally get away. At that point, she was so mentally down and physically exhausted that she decided to put off going to the diner once again because she wanted Luke to see her at her best, not the wrung out shadow of herself she now was.

As she got home and started up her walk her cell phone rang. She checked the caller id and took the call.

"Well?" Rory shouted over the phone. "You've kept me on pins and needles all day!"

"Pins and needles, huh?" Lorelai repeated dully. "Maybe we should trade that mattress of yours in for a bed of nails. Bet that will make you feel right at home."

"Mom," Rory remonstrated. She noticed the tone of her mother's voice. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," Lorelai made it into the house and collapsed on the couch.

"I thought you were going to the diner?" Rory questioned.

"I was," Lorelai sighed, "but I didn't make it. Luke was taking April back to the airport. They left just as I was about to walk up, so I hung back."

"What about lunch? Or dinner?" Rory asked.

"Being the owner of your own business has its drawbacks," Lorelai sighed again. "I never got away from the Inn all day. I just got home now."

"Oh Mom," Rory commiserated. "I'm so sorry." Her voice perked up. "There's always tomorrow."

"Not likely," Lorelai replied. "Michel got a call from his mother before I left. She's had a little car accident and he's gone back to France to be with her. She's all right." Lorelai interjected quickly, knowing Rory would be upset. "So I am covering his shifts and duties for the rest of this week."

"Oh, Mom," Rory said again. "There's no way you can get to the diner?"

"I'll have some time on Wednesday morning, so I'll shoot for then," Lorelai sighed. "Hon, I don't want to cut things short but I am beat and I still have to feed Paul Anka."

"Okay, Mom. Get some rest. Call me on Wednesday."

* * *

Luke strapped on his watch as he came through the curtain into the darkened diner. He hadn't slept well at all and wished he could go back upstairs to sleep, even though he wasn't sure he would be able to. His mind had been constantly churning, thinking about Lorelai. Mechanically, he started the coffee makers and began pulling chairs off the tables.

He had hoped she would have already come into the diner by now. He wondered why she hadn't. After that kiss at her house, he was sure she was ready to move forward with their relationship, but here it was Tuesday and he hadn't seen her at all. He thought about that kiss again. Maybe he was reading something into it that wasn't there yet? He was trying to stick to their agreement about going slow, but if she didn't show up soon, he might have to break his word and go and demand to see her. The last thing he wanted to do was issue _her_ an ultimatum. It was ironic: he was afraid if he pushed her, he would lose her.

He let out a deep breath. He was sure that they belonged together now. The waiting was agony but when they would finally be together, it would all be worth it. This was it; she was it for him. He would have to be more patient.

He flipped on the lights and unlocked the door, hopeful, and ready to start another day.

* * *

Lorelai once again had taken pains with her appearance. Yesterday seemed to last for an eternity. Every moment of her day was filled with thoughts of Luke. She had been able to perform her job on auto-pilot once again, thank goodness, and no one was the wiser. She was grateful she had been busy because Sookie wanted to talk about her and Luke and as much as she loved her, Lorelai knew that Sookie would have made things worse.

Today was the day. She walked out of the house and back to town. Babette was not around and Lorelai was grateful. She knew Babette had tipped off Miss Patty on Monday and she hoped for once the gossips would just butt out and let her and Luke get back together without their sometimes meddlesome attention.

As she walked up to the newsstand, her heart sank. Miss Patty and Babette were standing there in their usual gossip stance, whispering to each other. Lorelai knew she would have to walk past them to get to Luke's and it would be noted and maybe even commented on. She knew it didn't matter to her anymore. She needed to get to Luke's.

"Oh hey, Sugah," Babette said as she approached.

"Hey ladies, how are things at gossip central?"

"It's a slow day, dear," Miss Patty replied, keeping her voice neutral. "Only thing going on is at Luke's."

"Luke's?" Lorelai felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "What happened?"

"Nothing big, Sugah. The dessert case took a dive overnight and Luke is scrambling to get another one. I have never seen Kirk so happy when Luke set a whole strawberry pie down in front of him! Anyway Luke has gone to get another one and the whole diner is in an uproar."

"An uproar?" Lorelai repeated weakly. All that was running through her mind is that she probably wouldn't be seeing Luke.

"Well, its bound to calm down eventually," Miss Patty predicted.

"That's too bad." Lorelai's spirits were sinking rapidly. She knew she had to get away from them before she gave herself away. "Oh, look at the time. I have to get moving." Lorelai turned and once again started her despised walk to Weston's for coffee.

"It breaks my heart to see them like this," Babette said quietly, once Lorelai had gone.

"I only hope it ends soon," Miss Patty agreed.

* * *

"Tell me I haven't entered _The Twilight Zone_."

"Huh?" Rory asked bewildered. She sat down on a nearby bench.

"I don't understand it," Lorelai went on. "For the last two weeks, I would turn around and Luke was always there and this week zip, zippo, nada."

"You didn't see him today?"

"Not unless I changed jobs and now sell restaurant refrigeration equipment. Luke's dessert case bit the big one and I wasn't there to cash in on the free pie."

"Mom." Rory could tell from her mother's voice that she didn't care a bit about free pie. The level of desperation in her voice had risen considerably since Monday. "You may have to come up with Plan B. If you can't get to Luke, you'll have to bring Luke to you."

"You may have something there," Lorelai considered. "Today is definitely out but maybe tomorrow I can get him to the Dragonfly. It could work. Thanks kiddo."

"Anytime, Mom. I just want to see you happy."

* * *

Lorelai sat at her desk and drew a deep breath then picked up the phone. Despite being extremely busy, she had been able to delegate some tasks to other staff members. Not enough time to allow her to leave, but enough time to contact Luke and talk to him.

She dialed the number and listened to it ring, praying he would pick up.

"Luke's."

Damn it was Zach. Lorelai decided to muster on through. "Hey Zach, its Lorelai. Can I talk to Luke?"

"Sorry, he's not here," Zach said apologetically.

"Do you know where he went?" Lorelai asked, clutching the receiver. She could hear the desperation in her voice. "When will he be back?"

"I don't know, sorry," Zach apologized again. "He just said he had an errand to run in Woodbridge. I was kind of surprised he didn't take care of whatever it was yesterday, when he got the new case. Do you want me to give him a message?"

Lorelai thought for a moment. "No, no message," she said forlornly. "Don't even bother telling him I called. Thanks Zach."

"No problem." Zach hung up.

Lorelai stared at the phone trying to make sense of the past several days. It was bordering on ridiculous that they couldn't manage to even see each other. Try as she might, she had to wonder for a horrible second if maybe they _wouldn't_ end up together. It seemed like everything imaginable was suddenly blocking their path back to one another.

She mentally shook off the bad feeling. She had had enough of that over the past year. She drew a couple of deep breaths and thought about all they had been through. She knew he was worth waiting for. She knew they had weathered worse than this. She realized that this was probably one of the ups and downs all couples had in a relationship and that they could and would definitely survive this little separation.

Her resolve renewed, she went back to work.

* * *

Lorelai tiredly walked up to her parents' front door. She wondered how many more times she would be harangued into making the trip to Hartford to keep her father's business afloat. This being a Friday, she would spend time here, rush back to the Inn and try to get her own work done, then come back here again for Friday night dinner. She had had enough of this unnecessary responsibility and needed to get back to her life, both professionally and personally. She needed to go to the diner to Luke.

She wondered what he was doing now. Well, she could pretty much bet he was at the diner, but she wondered what he was thinking. She despaired over the missed opportunities of the past week and prayed their odd ability to show up at the same place at the same time hadn't abandoned them completely. They both had come too far to turn back now.

She knocked on the door and wasn't surprised when her mother answered the door herself.

"Oh, good," Emily's face sagged in relief as she let her in, "you're here."

"Here and rarin' to go," Lorelai said hoping she could get through today's tasks quickly.

Emily Gilmore stared at her daughter. She looked tired and troubled. In an uncharacteristic moment of appreciation, she realized that her daughter had a career and a life and she knew she had better figure out what was going on in her husband's head before he wore them both out.

"Well," Emily sighed as she led the way. "Let's get on with it." Lorelai followed her mother to the all-too-familiar office.

As they entered the office, Lorelai saw her father standing next to a bookcase, flipping through a book. Emily noticed her husband and was instantly hopeful that her husband was finally showing some interest in the business again. He was still wearing one of his silly jogging suits.

"Richard!" Emily exclaimed. "Thank god, finally!"

"Emily," he saw Lorelai behind his wife, "ah Lorelai you're here too. How nice. Its not Friday yet is it?"

"Yep TGIF" Lorelai replied. Had he really lost track of what day it was?

"Hmm. Alright. I leave you two to whatever needs to be done."

"Dad," Lorelai ventured. "Why don't you stay? I could really use your help here."

Lorelai saw the hesitation in his face. What was keeping him from going back to work?

"No," her father dismissed the idea abruptly. "You and mother are handling things just fine. You don't need me."

"Dad—"

"Richard—"

But he was gone.

"Lorelai, thank you for coming but we won't be working today." Emily stated firmly.

"Mom?" Lorelai questioned uncertainly.

Emily gave her a pained smile but nodded. "You run along. We'll see you tonight."

* * *

"Richard!" Emily entered their bedroom. "I've had enough! I demand that you start acting sensibly! You have been lazing around this house for too long!"

Richard did not even bother turning around to face her. He was rummaging in his closet.

"Richard, you need to go back to work!" Emily insisted. "You have taken advantage of me and Lorelai for too long now. This has to stop!" She stepped up behind him. "Richard? Richard!" She grabbed his arm to force him to face her. "Are you listening to me?"

Richard gave up on what he was searching for and turned to face his wife. "No, Emily, I am not listening to you," he stated calmly.

"Well you better! You need to go back to work!" she shouted in a shrill voice. "I don't understand you! You should not be behaving this way!"

Richard drew up to his full height. "Emily, I will behave whatever way I see fit. If I go back to work, it will be when I am ready!"

He stomped out of the bedroom.

"Richard!" Emily hurried after him down the stairs. "Where do you think you are going?"

Richard walked to the door and turned to face his wife. "Anywhere but here," he proclaimed and left.

Emily stood in the open doorway and watched him drive off in his Jaguar.

* * *

The lunch rush seemed to go on longer than usual. Luke had been running around taking orders and delivering food for the past few hours and it showed no sign of stopping. Luke pushed on even though he was tired. He was grateful for the distraction to take his mind off Lorelai.

Luke scooped the coffee into the filter and slammed the basket into the machine and started yet another pot of coffee. The door chimed as someone else entered the diner and for once, Luke did not turn around to see if it was Lorelai. He finished setting up a second pot of coffee, grabbed his pad and turned to take yet another order. He stopped stunned by the sight before him.

Richard Gilmore was sitting down at the counter, next to Kirk.

Luke jaw dropped as Richard picked up a menu and began perusing it. Luke scanned the diner and the sidewalk outside wondering if maybe Lorelai had sent him in as some sort of joke. Seeing nothing unusual, he had to conclude that Richard Gilmore was really sitting in his diner about to order lunch.

"Ah, Mr. Gilmore? Richard?" Luke remembered him insisting he use his given name when they had that disastrous round of golf. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to have lunch."

"Okay," Luke said slowly, still trying to wrap his mind around the concept. He was sure the food he served at his diner didn't live up Richard Gilmore's idea of haute cuisine. He gave up and thought, the hell with it. "Why are you here?"

Richard pretended to stare at the menu and ignored Luke for a moment. Luke waited without saying a word. Finally he set the menu down. "I'm here because this is the last place Emily would think of to come looking for me."

Luke nodded in agreement. It made sense to him now. "I gotta admit, of all the Gilmores I ever expected to walk through my door, Emily would be the last with you running a close second. Are you really here for lunch?" Luke asked, instinctively knowing there was something else behind this sudden appearance in the diner.

"Yes," Richard said firmly. He picked up the menu again. "What is the most disgusting thing I could possibly order off this menu?"

"Oh that's easy," Kirk chimed in. "Go for the double cheeseburger, extra cheese, double bacon, side of fries and rings and if you ask Luke nicely, he'll triple the cheese and make the fries extra greasy. Yep, a heart attack on a plate. De-lish!"

"Shut up, Kirk." Luke silenced him.

"Sounds good to me," Richard agreed. "I'll have that."

Luke gave Richard an appraising look then began writing out the order and reading it out loud. "One grilled chicken breast on lightly toasted wheat bun, slice of cheddar, lettuce, tomato, side salad, decaf coffee."

"See here," Richard complained in a tone rich people took on when they were trying to gain the upper hand. "What happened to the customer always being right?"

"That only applies to customers who are thinking clearly," Luke stated bluntly. "I'm busy. I'll put in your order and I'll be back when I can." He walked away. He paused next to the phone, half tempted to call Lorelai and let her know her father was here but he immediately decided against it. He did not want to lure her back under false pretenses. She had to want to come back willingly.

"He is bossy," Richard commented out loud. Richard watched him put in his order, grab a cup and fill it with decaf, come back and set it down and leave without a word.

"Oh yeah," Kirk agreed philosophically, "but most of the time he is right. Yep, I, myself have said the same thing many a time, but Luke is like the voice of reason in a pool of chaos. Well, in my case it more like an ocean…"

Richard tuned Kirk out as he observed Luke as he negotiated his way through the diner, delivering food, taking orders, refilling coffee and offering up the occasional chit-chat when necessary. The place was still very busy, even though the regular lunch hours had already passed. Richard took a sip of coffee and looked at the cup. He had to admit for decaf, it was very good.

"… depend on him more than we realize," Kirk droned on. "I guess Luke does know his role with the town and with his friends and meets that challenge. Ah yes, he is more important in the grand scheme of things than I first thought." Kirk pondered for a moment. "Or maybe he put too much whipped cream on my second sundae and the sugar rush has finally reached my brain." Kirk looked to Richard for confirmation.

Richard was unsure how to reply to this strange man. "I think you can go either way on that one," he said noncommittally.

"Stop scaring my customers, Kirk," Luke set a plate down in front of Richard and ordered, "Eat. _I'll be back_." He walked away.

"Oh, Arnold Schwarzenegger reference! I love him!" Kirk began.

"Kirk!"

"I'll shut up now." He gestured to Richard. "Enjoy your lunch."

Richard leisurely ate his lunch, as the lunch crowd thinned out and things began to slow down. When he finished, Luke drifted up with impeccable timing and cleared the plate away. He came back with the coffee pot and refilled his cup and set down a piece of apple pie ala mode then walked away. Richard nodded appreciatively as a man with gray hair and a beard approached Kirk.

"Kirk you were supposed to be at the ice cream shop an hour ago so I could go over your duties for the spring festival."

"Sorry Taylor, I was making chit-chat with the customers," Kirk replied.

Taylor looked over at Richard and recognized him almost immediately. "Why Richard Gilmore. I'm surprised to see you here!"

"Er, yes," Richard hemmed barely remembering Taylor from previous meetings and trying to come up with a plausible reason he would be in the diner by himself. "I needed to talk to Luke about a couple of things," he lied.

Luke had walked up to them at that moment and overheard but said nothing.

"You should stop by my ice cream shop next door." He indicated the window that allowed people to be seen in each establishment. "You know I was thinking about franchising and I'd like to talk to you about it."

"Go away Taylor. He has more important things to do than to franchise that sugary sweet nightmare." Luke said darkly.

"Well," Taylor drew himself up. "C'mon Kirk, we have work to do. Richard, it was a pleasure to see you. By the way, that is a snazzy jogging suit." Kirk paid Cesar for lunch and they both left.

Luke stood before Richard. "Taylor likes your snazzy jogging suit," he commented.

Richard was grateful to be rid of the smarmy man. "I'll burn it as soon as I get home."

Luke nodded. "You good?"

"Yes. That was an excellent meal, thank you. I don't think I would have enjoyed my original order as much."

"You wouldn't have gotten it anyway, no matter how much you insisted. I was not going to feed you something bad for you and have all three Gilmore women come after me. Two of them I could probably handle but the third…"

"Yes, Emily can be quite formidable." Richard agreed.

Luke snorted. "I was talking about Rory."

Richard arched an eyebrow at him and Luke continued, "She'd just put on that Rory face and I would fold and let her kick my ass around the town square."

Richard laughed and remembered when he too had fallen victim to the Rory face. "I see your point."

"Now, you wanna tell me why you are _really_ here?"

Richard hesitated, not knowing what to say, suddenly wishing Luke would have some customer to wait on but as he looked around he saw that the diner had finally cleared out completely.

"I've not been myself since the by-pass," he admitted staring at the counter.

"From what I have heard, you have come through it fine. What's the problem?"

"I am fine, I just…I don't want to go back to that same life."

Luke frowned at him. "What didn't you like about your life? You are a rich man, with a wife, daughter and granddaughter who love you. You work hard and enjoy the good things in life."

"I guess it's the working hard part that is bothering me. I have an insurance company but I was also doing some teaching at Yale." He pondered for a moment. "When I started teaching, it opened up a whole new facet of my life. I love teaching, but I'm only a guest lecturer. The more I taught, the more I realized I want to do that more than run the insurance company."

"I still don't see the problem here."

"My wife has been badgering me to start work again at my insurance company. That's something I don't want to do anymore, at least not full-time. I want to teach. I am not sure she'll understand."

"Well you probably should talk to her about it." Luke said. "She probably would be happy with whatever you decide as long as she is a part of it."

"I haven't figured out how to tell her." Richard had a history of keeping business issues from his wife.

"Take the plunge, talk to her, and soon." Luke suggested. As he turned to grab the coffee pot to refill Richard's cup one more time he added under his breath, "If I had I wouldn't be stuck where I am today."

As he turned back, he realized from the expression on Richard's face that he heard him. Luke filled his cup again.

"Can I ask you a question?" Richard asked.

Luke was suddenly wary of what was coming next. Both of them had been very careful not to mention Lorelai.

"You showed up at the hospital when I had my heart attack."

"Yes."

"That was very magnanimous of you. You brought food and ran errands for Emily."

"I remember how tough it was the first time and I wanted be there for Lorelai. As a friend." Luke tried to make light of the situation. Lorelai had still been married to Christopher at the time. Luke wasn't sure what Lorelai had told her parents about the break up of her marriage but he wasn't about to give up any of the details.

"Emily told me you brought my car back from Yale." Richard said watching Luke closely. "I remember that morning the car hesitating a few times when I would hit the gas. I was going to take it in for service. Funny thing, it doesn't seem to do that anymore and Emily told me you were the only person who drove the car. Know anything about it?"

Luke's eyes shifted away from him guiltily. Of all the questions he expected, this was not one of them. He had noticed the problem and popped the hood and fixed it. He never told anyone he had repaired the car, but now he realized he was busted.

"Ah…." Luke stammered not sure what he should say. Rich people were sometimes very particular about who worked on their cars.

"Hmmm." Richard had his answer. "Well I had better get back before Emily has the police looking for me." Richard said and stood up. "If you'll just give me my check, I'll be on my way."

"First time customers are on the house," Luke said. "Diner rule."

"You'll never get ahead that way," Richard said, "Are you sure _you_ don't want to franchise? You do a hell of a business here."

"No, I am good with just this place here thanks."

Richard nodded. "Thank you Luke. For everything."

"Your welcome, Richard," Luke said.

As Richard left, Luke cleaned the counter, shaking his head at the oddity of the conversation. He couldn't wait to tell Lorelai.

If he ever saw her again.

* * *

"Tomorrow will be the big day," Rory said as they pulled up to the Gilmore mansion. "We have all day to get to the diner and get this settled once and for all. I can't stand the suspense."

"Hey I am not planning anything," Lorelai said darkly. "The heavens may open up and strike the town off the map the way my luck has been running."

"Hey your luck will change," Rory bolstered her up with a positive attitude. They got out of the car and approached the door.

"I'm not sure I can handle this Friday night dinner," Lorelai grimaced. "I can only imagine the fight they had this afternoon after I left. I kept looking for the mushroom cloud in my rearview mirror on the way home." She reached for the bell but the door swung open before she rang.

"Lorelai! Rory!" Emily greeted them warmly. "Come in, come in!"

The maid took their coats and Emily ushered them into the living room.

"You two look very nice tonight."

Lorelai looked at her mother strangely. "This is the same thing I had on this afternoon," Lorelai reminded her.

"Well you still look lovely. Richard, dear!" she called out. "They're here!"

Lorelai's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the complete one hundred eighty degree turnaround from this afternoon. "Mom, is everything okay? Have you become a Stepford Wife?"

"Oh Lorelai really! No, everything is fine. Your father and I had a bit of an argument after you left. He took off for a while and when he came back, he sat me down and we talked about what was bothering him. He told me how he would rather focus more on teaching than insurance. He is going to make arrangements with his company to lighten his duties there and contact Yale about extending his term as guest lecturer. Oh its all turned out for the best!"

"Hello Lorelai, Rory," Richard came down the stairs in a suit and his customary bow tie. He went to the drink cart and prepared their usual drinks. "You are looking lovely tonight, both of you."

"Is there any echo in here?" Lorelai quipped.

"I'm just re-affirming the fact." Richard smiled at his daughter.

They finished their drinks as the maid came and announced dinner was ready. Emily was in such good spirits she didn't reprimand the maid for having dinner ready five minutes earlier than usual.

"The dinner is good, Mom," Lorelai complimented her as they dined.

"Yes it is," Emily agreed. "I can do no wrong today! Dinner, getting your father back to his life, I do it all!"

"Really Emily," Richard gently chastised her, "you can't take credit for my returning to work."

"I most certainly can!" Emily exclaimed. "We argued, you left then came back and we talked and things are headed back to normal."

"We argued and I left but it was hardly any of your doing that made me return to a routine of sorts."

Lorelai and Rory had been following their conversation, back and forth like a tennis match. Emily would serve and Richard would volley right back at her.

"I knew it couldn't last." Lorelai whispered across to Rory. Rory shushed her in return.

"Richard," Emily asked suspiciously. "Just where did you end up when you left here earlier?"

"No place you would care to hear about dear, so let's drop it."

Emily slammed down her fork. "Richard! I will not let this go! Where did you go this afternoon?"

Richard paused, clearly not wanting to reveal his whereabouts. "I went to Luke's for lunch."

"What!" All three Gilmore women shrieked in surprise.

Rory looked at her mother, who had dropped her fork and was staring open-mouthed at her father.

"Of all the places you could have gone, how _could_ you go to that place?"

"Very easily Emily," Richard replied smoothly. "I knew you would never come and look for me there."

"And he probably fed you that awful diner food."

"No, Emily, I tried, but he wouldn't allow it. He made a nice healthy meal and then we talked."

"About what?" Lorelai jumped in. Her stomach was filled with butterflies.

Richard looked at his daughter carefully. "You'll have to ask him that yourself, Lorelai. Anyway, we talked and I saw how my indecision regarding how I wanted to work was causing problems for all of you and so, here we are. He just helped me sort things out by listening. He really runs quite a business there."

"Next you'll be telling me he walks on water," Emily snarked.

"Emily, that's enough. Just be grateful we are putting this whole episode behind us. As soon as I get things arranged with the company and with Yale, the sooner I get back to doing things I enjoy."

Lorelai and Rory exchanged glances, too stunned to contribute more to their conversation. Lorelai was surprised that her father would even think of going to Luke's. Richard Gilmore had made it very clear in the past that he thought Luke wasn't good enough for his daughter. Now, even though he hadn't spoken on that subject, something happened at the diner that made him alter his impression of Luke.

The only problem was she didn't know what it was.

* * *

Zach wiped down the counter as Luke went through the daily receipts. Luke had had a long, strange day in the diner and he was feeling the walls close in on him. He had remained in the diner as long as he could each day, waiting for Lorelai and it had been in vain.

"Zach, I'm gonna head out to K.C.'s for a quick one okay? I'll be back soon and I'll close for you."

"Sure no problem, Luke," Zach agreed. "Take your time. Hey, you can even stop by Lorelai's if you want. I can close."

"What?" Luke asked confused.

"Lorelai's. You guys seemed to be good again at the christening and she called here—"

"She called? When?" Luke practically pounced on Zach.

"When you were in Woodbridge yesterday," Zach replied in alarm. "You weren't in and I didn't know when you were coming back. She said not to tell you. I just figured she would mention it when you saw her."

Luke grimaced as he remembered what he was doing in Woodbridge when she called. He was angry at himself for not being at the diner. He looked up at the clock. She would be at Friday night dinner with her parents so there was no way he could call her now. He wondered how this particular Friday night dinner was going and if Richard would mention his field trip to Star Hollow. He shook his head, his mind unwilling to speculate on what it all meant.

"Should I have told you about it?" Zach asked nervously.

"No, don't worry about it," Luke assured him. "Whatever she wanted, I will find out eventually. I'm still headed out for that beer though. Be back soon."

Luke walked down the street to K.C.'s. He went to the bar and ordered his beer and sat, his brain going over everything from the past few weeks over and over again.

He was nearly finished with his beer when the bartender came over and set another beer down in front of him.

"I didn't order that," Luke said.

"Waitress said someone bought it for you."

"Who?"

"No idea."

Luke scanned the bar but couldn't see anyone he knew that would buy him a beer. He shrugged and proceeded to drink it while he pondered his situation with Lorelai. Maybe he could call her later when he knew she would be back from Hartford. He downed the rest of his beer, dropped some bills on the bar and left.

He walked slowly back to the diner, for once not wanting to go back there. He could go wait at Lorelai's for her to come home, but he had no idea how long it would be and he still didn't want to push her even though he now had an excuse, albeit a flimsy one, to see her now.

Luke walked into the diner and Zach looked up from his chores. "Deader than a doornail boss," he said.

"Go home, I'll close up."

"Thanks Luke."

"Give those boys of yours a hug from me."

"Will do." Zach left.

Luke was puttering around behind the counter, setting up for the next morning when the door chimed.

"We're closed." He turned around and stopped dead.

Christopher Hayden was standing in his diner. Would this bizarre day never end?

"Get out," Luke said, unable to stop the surge of anger and jealously that arose in him every time he heard his name or saw the man.

"I need to speak to you," Christopher said firmly.

"This is _my_ place of business and I want you out." Luke repeated in a low growl. He came out from behind the counter.

"Look, I know I am not your favorite person," Christopher stated, "and you have every reason to hate me but please, I need to speak to you."

"What makes you think I would listen to anything you had to say? What could you possibly have to say to me?"

"Thank you."

Luke wasn't sure he heard him correctly. "Thank you?" he echoed.

"Yeah," Christopher seemed embarrassed. He walked over to one of the counter stools and sat down. Luke stared at him for a moment then took a seat at the counter himself a few stools away. "I have been hitting K.C.'s the past few nights hoping to speak to you."

"You bought me the beer?"

"Yeah. I thought we would talk there but then I realized this should be a more private conversation, so I waited outside and followed you back here." He waited for Luke to say something.

"Alright, fine," Curiosity won him over. Luke gave in. "Talk."

"I have to thank you for everything you've done over the years for Rory and Lorelai. I was never there for them when they needed me. Looking back on that now, I am ashamed of myself that Lorelai had to struggle all alone to raise Rory. She didn't have her parents. She didn't have me." Christopher looked at Luke, "But she had you."

"I helped out along the way, when they needed it. It was no big thing." Luke explained. He couldn't forgive Christopher for abandoning them, but given his relationship with April, he could understand and appreciate fatherly concern even if it was twenty-some odd years late in coming.

"It _was_ a big thing. After reading the character reference Lorelai wrote, I talked to Rory about it. The love in her voice and in her eyes when she talked about you when she was growing up…I just wish it had been me she was talking about. So I have to thank you and will be forever grateful for what you did."

"Don't mention it. I just wish I had had the same chance with my daughter. I know her now and I see her when I can but I can't help wishing I was there when she was a baby and all the while she was growing up, turning into this intelligent, amazing young girl." Luke confessed then clammed up as he realized who he was confessing to.

"I get it," Christopher said seeming to know Luke was uncomfortable revealing his thoughts about April to him of all people. "There is just one more thing." Christopher began.

Luke tensed but managed to nod in encouragement for Christopher to continue.

"I do want to be a part of my daughter's life. And even though I have not heard anything, I know you will be there too. Is it asking too much if we just…."

"Tolerate each other? For both their sake's?" Luke finished.

Christopher nodded then let out an ironic laugh and held out his right hand to Luke. "You realize, of course I am probably going to hate you until the day you die."

"Right back at ya," Luke shot back as he reached out and shook Christopher's hand.

* * *

"I still can't believe it," Lorelai said as they drove back to Star Hollow. "All this time, all he needed to was to talk to another guy about what was going on."

"Not just any guy," Rory chimed in. "Luke."

"That one has got me scratching my head though," Lorelai pondered. "He's never really liked Luke."

"Maybe he realized Luke would wouldn't sugar-coat it, he would tell him what to do."

"Hmmm, maybe," Lorelai agreed as they entered the town.

Lorelai was driving through the center of town when all of a sudden she screamed and slammed on the brakes, fish-tailing the Jeep up to the curb.

"Mom!" Rory yelled at her as she saw her mother frantically paw at her seatbelt. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Christopher's in the diner with Luke!" She screamed as she flung the door open.

Lorelai sprinted away from the Jeep, past Christopher's Volvo, her eyes never leaving the two men inside the diner. God, please, she prayed, don't let him wreck this. She heard Rory running behind her.

Lorelai burst into the diner, startling both men to their feet. "Christopher!" she yelled. "What in the hell do you think you are doing here?"

"Lorelai," Christopher said alarmed. Lorelai was on the attack, like a tigress defending her young, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to—"

"We're done! You shouldn't be here harassing Luke!" She shouted at him.

"Mom—" Rory tried to pull her mother back.

"No! Please, I can't fail at this, this time. It's too important! It's my life and my future happiness at stake here!" She babbled on and faced Christopher again. "I need you and everyone else to just butt out!"

"Lorelai, it's—" Christopher began again.

"Leave now!"

"Mom—"

"Lorelai," Luke physically stepped between the two of them and grabbed hold of her arms. He had taken everything she said in and while his spirits were soaring by her declaration, he needed to deal with Christopher himself. "Lorelai, its okay," he reassured her.

Lorelai stared at him, scarcely able to believe she had finally gotten to see him, here in the diner.

_The diner._ She remembered what she had told him that when she showed up in the in diner, she would be ready to continue their relationship. She had done it. She made it past every roadblock that had sprung up between them and made it into the diner at last. She smiled at him. She could see he too was remembering and knew what her appearance meant.

"Lorelai," Luke said, hoping she would understand what he said next. "You gotta leave."

"What?" She tilted her head at him in confusion; she did _not_ hear him correctly.

"You have to leave." He gently began herding her back to the door. Rory grabbed her mother's arm and pulled her back.

"No! Wait! I don't understand!" Lorelai cried in disbelief. After all the trouble and anguish she went through to get here, now all he wanted was for her to leave? "You can't throw me out now!"

Luke herded her back over the threshold, praying she would understand. "Go." He stepped over the threshold himself, reached up and took down the spare key to the diner. She was still standing right in front of him. "I want you back in this diner tomorrow morning, no matter what!" He declared. He slammed the door in her face, locked it and they stood for moment, staring at each other, the glass door between them.

"Oh! OH!" Lorelai backed away from the door. "Arrgh!" She screamed aloud. She turned around and began hunting around for something.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Rory yelled, having never seen her Mother like this before. She didn't expect an answer but she got one anyway.

"I am looking for a brick or a rock to heave through Luke's window!" Lorelai screamed back at her.

"Mom!" Rory grabbed her arm and started pulling her back to the Jeep. "You can't throw a brick or a rock through Luke's window," she tried to reason with her mother. "C'mon!"

"No you don't understand," Lorelai tried but couldn't break Rory's hold on her. "I have to be in there! I can't leave them alone!"

"Mom," Rory soothed, "it will be alright." She got her mother to the Jeep and tried to push her in. "Look! They are just standing there."

Lorelai looked into the diner and saw that both men were watching her little drama in the street. Neither had moved and it looked like they were just calmly standing there, not saying a word to each other. It was infuriating.

"Mom, it's okay. Dad told me it would be okay when I saw him last week."

Lorelai turned on her daughter in surprise. "You saw your father last week? And you're just telling me this _now_?"

"He came to see me to talk about the letter and I got the impression that he was okay with Luke." Rory explained nervously.

"Yeah, sure he is! And did I ever tell you that your father and Luke beat each other up in the town square at Christmas?"

Rory's mouth dropped open and she wondered if maybe her mother was right and they should be in the diner mediating.

"No," Rory came to a decision and shoved her mother behind the wheel of the Jeep. "We are leaving. We are leaving _now_."

Both Luke and Christopher watched as Lorelai and Rory finally got into the Jeep and drove off. They both turned away from the window.

Christopher was stunned at how easily Luke had defused the situation, even to some extent defending him to Lorelai. And Lorelai. He was positive he had never seen her act that way before, which only spoke volumes of the depth of her love for Luke. As much as he knew he would always love the mother of his child, it was clear Luke would always have her heart.

"She really had a full head of steam," Christopher remarked off-handedly looking at Luke. "I've never seen her act like that before. She must really love you."

Luke looked at Christopher but didn't want to comment. Talking about Rory was one thing. Talking about Lorelai was definitely another. They had just crossed into dangerous territory.

"You'll have your hands full dealing with her."

"And I wouldn't change that fact for anything in the world." Luke replied quietly. They looked at each other.

"It's lame for me to apologize at this late date but I am going to do it anyway. I'm sorry for not sending her back to you that night. I should have and I didn't. I caused us all a lot of pain and suffering."

Luke said nothing but was in total agreement.

"I see now, that you two are meant to be together. Rest assured I won't make things difficult for you on that score."

"I appreciate that." Luke nodded.

Christopher walked to the door and unlocked it. "Take care, Luke." He walked out of the diner.

Luke followed him outside and down the sidewalk to his car. "Christopher," he called.

Christopher stopped and turned around. "What?"

This time Luke held out his hand. "Thank you."

Christopher gave him a wry grin then walked over and shook his hand. As he turned to go back to the car, he stopped staring off in one direction. Parked off another side of the square was the Jeep with Lorelai and Rory still inside, watching them.

"I knew she wouldn't leave that easily." Christopher shook his head.

Luke shook his head as well. He had done the exact same thing with Jess once.

Christopher looked towards the Jeep and waved then got in his car and drove off. Luke gave him a wave then he too looked towards the Jeep and waved then went back into the diner.

"See?" Rory said. "It's alright."

Lorelai watched Luke lock up the diner and turn off the lights. "He's going to sleep?" Lorelai asked incredulously. "We need to talk!"

"He's had a rough day," Rory surmised, "with Dad and Grandpa. Plus he told you to come to the diner tomorrow."

"Ordered is more like it," Lorelai said huffily.

"Mom, you know wild horses wouldn't keep you away."

"How am I supposed to sleep tonight?" Lorelai moaned.

"I'll find a Wiley Coyote-shaped anvil. You'll sleep." Rory assured her. "Let's go."

Lorelai started up the Jeep and finally turned it towards home.

* * *

"Rory!" Lorelai shouted as she came down the steps. "Showtime! Get a move on will you?" She walked down the hall to Rory's still closed door. "Oh, you better be up!" she warned as she opened the door.

Rory was not only up and ready, she was talking on her cell phone. "Absolutely!" Rory said excitedly into the phone.

"Rory, c'mon, talk to Logan later!"

"Got to go…Logan" Rory snapped the phone shut. "Well don't you look nice."

"Flattery will get you no where. Move."

They started toward town, Rory chattering at her Mother.

"So, how are you going to punish Luke for banishing you from the diner last night? I mean, seriously Mom, he has got to pay!"

"We'll see," Lorelai said noncommittally. "I just need to find out what happened."

"Aw, Mom, don't let him off easy," Rory egged her Mother on, smiling to herself, "Let him have it!"

"Will you stop?" Lorelai pleaded. Rory was getting her all worked up again and it had taken forever for her to calm down last night and think sensibly about what went on in the diner yesterday.

"C'mon, Mom!" Rory urged her on. They were past Dosse's headed for the diner.

"Rory!" Lorelai yelled completely exasperated with her daughter. She had succeeded in riling her up again.

Rory walked into the diner first and Lorelai followed, angrily slamming the door so hard she was surprised she didn't break the window. All conversation in the diner instantly ceased.

Lorelai looked around in embarrassment, suddenly the center of attention. No one moved or said a word.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Luke yelled as he walked out of the kitchen with a couple of plates. He stopped when he saw her. "Oh, it's you."

Lorelai let go of the breath she was unconsciously holding and looked at him in confusion. He didn't seem too happy to see her.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Sit down," he indicated one of their favorite tables near the door. "I'll get to you in a minute."

Lorelai huffed and she sat down, completely missing the grin Rory was now sporting. "At least you could get me coffee," she called after his retreating back.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled back at her.

Lorelai couldn't believe this. This was _not_ the reception she expected. Rory stopped grinning. The entire diner was silent watching this scene play out.

"Hurry up!" she needled him. If she was put out, she was going to make damn sure he was too.

"In a minute." He walked back in their direction. "Man, you can be annoying."

Lorelai rose to the bait. "Annoying? Annoying! Ooh I'll give you annoying!" A long ago memory surfaced in her brain. "Where is that damn newspaper?"

"What in the hell do you want that for?" Luke slammed a couple of cups down on the table and poured coffee in them.

"I want to give you another horoscope," she said nastily.

Luke set the coffee pot down and reached into his back pocket. "Don't bother," he said. He opened his wallet withdrew a small piece of paper and slammed it on the table in front of her.

Lorelai stared down at the horoscope. She had seen it on their first date and from time to time he had let her look at it. She couldn't believe after all this time, after everything they had gone through, he had kept it. As she stared down at it, she realized it was different.

"Oh my god!" She gasped, all of her annoyance and anger draining out of her. You _laminated_ it!" She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Of course, I laminated it," Luke ranted on but there was no anger in his tone. "That's what you're supposed to do with priceless possessions. You protect them. You keep them safe. This was getting flimsy and I didn't want to lose it. So, yes, I laminated it!" A thought struck him. "If you're so interested in horoscopes, maybe its time I gave one to you!"

She didn't look up as he walked away from the table. Rory looked around the diner, seeing all the patrons leaning forward, not wanting to miss a word of this exchange. Zach was behind the counter. Even Cesar was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, hanging on every word.

Luke found the paper, rifled through it then scribbled something and ripped it out of the paper. He walked back to the table and set it down in front of Lorelai, next to the old horoscope. "Here," he continued on, but his voice was softer. "Here's one for you."

Lorelai picked up the piece of paper. "You will meet a persistent, patient man," she didn't realize she was reading it out loud, "who loves you." Her voice choked up slightly. "Marry him and build a life together forever." Several gasps were heard around the diner, Rory included. "Oh my god!" Lorelai cried, her eyes filling with tears.

"Lorelai." Luke's quiet voice floated above her head but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the words. He got down beside her so he could look up into her face to see what she was feeling.

"Lorelai." He repeated softly.

Lorelai finally tore her eyes away and looked into Luke's. Her heart beat faster as she saw the love and hope in his eyes.

"Are you serious?" she asked him softly, tears running down her cheeks.

"Absolutely," he said without hesitation. Then he got a sheepish look on his face. "I hadn't planned on doing it like this now, I was going to wait, but" he reached into his pocket and withdrew out a small red velvet box and opened it. The diamond sparkled and winked out at her. "Marry me?" he asked quietly.

Another series of gasps came from all parts of the diner, but neither of them heard. For all they knew they were alone.

"Yes."

Luke smiled at her and slipped the ring on her finger, then stood up, drawing her to her feet as well. He took her in his arms and kissed her.

Lorelai clung to him as she kissed him back. Her head was pleasurably spinning and there was a roaring in her ears but she didn't care. She was sure Luke felt the same and didn't either.

When they finally broke apart, they both still heard the roaring and realized the diner was in a state of pandemonium, everyone was cheering them on. They looked to Rory who was beaming, wiping the happy tears from her cheeks.

"God, I proposed to you in front of the entire town," Luke realized. He shook his head in disbelief at what he had done.

"Yeah and we appreciate that you did Luke!" Babette yelled from her table where she was sitting with Miss Patty. "Finally I get to trump Eastside Tillie with the big one! Thanks!"

Luke shook his head and grabbed Lorelai's hand and head toward the stairs. "I think we should continue this conversation in private." She giggled and followed him. He gestured to Zach to refill coffee all around.

"Luke," Kirk blocked their path. "I just want you to know that I am available for any role you need for the wedding. Best man, minister, ring bearer. I would make an excellent ring bearer!"

"We've got your number, Kirk," Luke tactfully avoided committing them to using Kirk's services.

"Of course, you will forget about that time I lost the Easter eggs."

"We've _lost_ your number, Kirk," Lorelai shot back at him as they walked around him.

"Oh I hate it that she gets to order off the special menu." Lorelai heard Miss Patty complain as they went through the curtain.

Luke led her up the stairs and into his apartment where they could finally be alone. He gathered her close once again and kissed her even more passionately than he had in the diner. They were getting lost in the kiss when Lorelai suddenly pulled back.

"Not so fast, mister," she said leaning back from him. "You still need to answer some questions about yesterday."

"Shoot."

"What in the world happened with my Father? I can't believe he came here for lunch!"

"I think he just needed a sounding board and time to sort things out. Hands down best time I have ever had with your Dad."

"Did you talk about me?" she wondered.

"Not directly, but I think your Father realizes that we still have feelings for each other."

"So did you ask him how many goats I was worth?"

He gave her a strange look before he caught on. "No, the conversation never got around to goats."

"Hmmm." Her eyes narrowed at him. "And what about Christopher? What in the world was he doing here last night? I almost had a heart attack when I saw him."

"You almost ripped him limb from limb," Luke replied, for once enjoying a memory involving Christopher. "We talked about Rory mainly. He thanked me for everything I had done over the years. Things that he is sorry he never did for her or for you."

"Oh. Did you talk about me?" she asked again.

"You, you, you, is everything about you?"

"At the moment, yes," she replied sweetly then grew concerned as Luke expression turned serious.

"We talked about you briefly and about that night when all three of us made the biggest mistakes of our lives."

Lorelai said nothing. She knew whatever animosity that might remain between them would have to be worked out between them. She had made her feelings pretty clear last night. She knew Christopher would respect her decision and knew Luke would trust her about Christopher from here on out.

"So did you ask _him_ how many goats I was worth?" She teased him gently.

"No, again I missed my opportunity for goats."

"Too bad."

"Don't worry. Rory and I covered the goat topic earlier this morning."

"What?" Lorelai was confused. "When?"

"She's been pretty busy with finishing up at Yale. I wasn't sure I could get her alone to talk to her so I called her this morning and asked her if it was okay with her, if I asked you to marry me."

Lorelai's eyes went wide as she realized Rory had been talking to Luke this morning when she came into her room. "That little sneak! She never said anything and she kept egging me on the whole way here! Did she know you were going to propose this morning?"

"No. I didn't know myself. It just happened."

"And the ring, its so beautiful." She admired it. "When did you get it?"

"Ah… yesterday. In Woodbridge, which is why I missed your call."

Lorelai shook her head. "Man our timing as been off this week."

"We'll work on it." He kissed her again.

"Promise?"

He kissed her again and pulled her even closer. Each kiss was more and more passionate as he backed towards the bed.

* * *

"Lorelai, hurry up!" Luke was scrambling around the bed, tossing her clothes at her.

"I can't believe we just did this with a whole diner full of people downstairs!" Luke exclaimed as they dressed quickly.

"I know!" Lorelai agreed, "it's like having our own cheering section—"

"Lorelai, if you _ever_ want me to touch you again, _please_ don't finish that sentence, I beg you."

She giggled and finished dressing, checking her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Luke appeared over her shoulder, giving himself a quick once-over.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Checking for lipstick." He turned his face from side to side and checked out his neck. "Don't ask."

When they were ready, he led her back down to the diner. As the walked out from behind the curtain, they saw most of the town was still there. Babette and Miss Patty waved them over.

"Sugah, I am so happy for you, the both of you!" Babette gushed. "We'll be talking about this one for years."

Miss Patty eyed them critically noticing how Lorelai was glowing and that both of them seemed relaxed. She eyed Luke appraisingly. "Lorelai, honey, any chance you'd let me order from Luke's special menu?" She emphasized her words suggestively.

Luke said "Patty!" in as shocked whisper and Lorelei shook her head. "No way."

"Well if he has to belong to someone, at least I like you." Patty smirked.

Luke pulled Lorelai back to her table where Rory was eating breakfast.

"I was going to make you both a special breakfast," he said disappointed.

"Oh, you can make it for Mom," Rory replied. "We weren't sure how long you two were gonna be gone and Cesar figured he better feed me rather that see me waste away waiting for you." She put her hand up to her forehead dramatically.

Luke scooped up his horoscope and put it back in his wallet. "Several people came by the table to look at these but I wouldn't let them touch them," Rory admitted.

"Will you laminate mine too?" Lorelai asked Luke softly.

"Sure," he went to pick it up but she stopped him and squeezed his hand. "Later," she said pulling out her own wallet. "I don't want this out of my possession for a moment."

"Later," he gave her a quick kiss and went to fix her breakfast.

A short time later, Luke walked out with a heaping plate of food. He grabbed the coffee pot and walked back over to their table. "Here." He set the plate down.

Lorelai looked the plate; he had made all of her favorites. She smiled up at him. "Thank you." Luke sat down at the table with them.

"So when are you going to tell April?" Rory asked.

"Well I am supposed to fly out and see her in two weeks," Luke replied. "Seems like a good time to tell her," he looked at Lorelai. "Do you think you can get away from the Inn for a weekend?"

Lorelai caught her breath. "What about Anna?"

"She needs to know that you are going to be a permanent part of mine and April's lives from now on so she had better get used to seeing us together. And I will have no problem telling her that. It will be fine." Luke said confidently.

Lorelai smiled at him as he got up to go back to work. He caught her free hand and gave it a squeeze which she returned then went back to eating her breakfast.

Luke went back behind the counter, grinning the whole time. He caught her eye and winked. Yes everything would be just fine.

tbc?

* * *

A/N: Okay, here's the deal. I wrote these three chapters like they could have been episodes of the actual show. (Heck in my mind they were!)

We've all heard the rumors that this might be it for the show. I can go on for two more of my "chapters" and tie everything up like they are rumored to be doing. These chapters will cover larger chunks of time but (hopefully) won't be any longer.

What I need from you guys is validation. Do I do it? Do you want to see this go on or should I mark this story as complete?

You, my readers, can decide. Review or email me to let me know. If I get a good enough positive response, I'll go on. –Jmaka.


	4. Chachachachanges

Okay you guys are scaring me. I really, REALLY appreciate the great reviews. The Pros kinda outweighed the Cons, so on I go! I pray I don't start to suck now. No pressure! Jeez. Even though there will be a season eight, I have decided to continue as if there wasn't thus giving me my end to the story.

This and the next chapter, which I will probably post a lot sooner than usual, was one HUGE chapter. I found a good spot to break and luckily was able to split it. War and Peace is starting to look like a novella compared to this saga, so looks like it will be 6 chapters all told.

Woo hoo! I was one for one on the names of Lane's twins!

Thank goodness I had already decided Rory wouldn't get the fellowship, so I am still with canon, sort of.

Here is the next installment. Time will move a little more quickly from here on out but not so fast that you won't feel if you blink you'll miss something. Love it, hate it, if you feel strongly about it, let me know!

Shout out to vakan: I did boost my LL interaction. Hope you like it.

Shout out to LorLukealways: It _never_ crossed my mind to bring Anna into my story. Man the possibilities!

Special shout out to Dayzy27: Thanks for being my beta on this and the next two. Never thought about doing the beta thing before (I am sooo new to this) but another pair of eyes and another mind is a definite plus!

My usual disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will, but this chapter they get to play! Hee!

Cha-cha-cha-changes

"You look like you are about to face a firing squad," Lorelai observed. "Calm down."

"That's easy for you to say," Luke groused back at her. "You've probably developed a thick skin over the years and after all the Friday night dinners you've attended."

"Ah, you never develop too thick of a skin, my friend." Lorelai nodded sagely.

They were pulling up to the Gilmore mansion in Luke's truck. Lorelai looked over at Luke; his hands were clenched on the steering wheel. She knew this was the last place Luke wanted to be. He would probably be more comfortable in Hell and more welcomed there too. Yet, here he was, willing to put himself in a suit and in the line of fire, to face Emily Gilmore once again.

It had been a whirlwind of a week for the two of them. Luke had been steadily moving his things into her house and it would take time, but for now was permanently living there. He was so firmly entrenched he stayed at Lorelai's even if he had early deliveries at the diner. It had been slightly uncomfortable for him until Lorelai reminded him that he had been living with her in her house before Christopher and that he was just reclaiming his rightful place.

They talked long into the night, that first night. They openly discussed what they both wanted from their relationship and how they wanted to proceed. They talked about the future and decided when that future would start.

They were on track again and planning their wedding, both of them planning it this time. They didn't always agree, they sometimes argued but they always kept an open mind and an open line of communication. Sookie had been offering her suggestions and advice but each and every decision they made, they made together. Lorelai found it ironic: their first wedding practically planned itself from the point when she found her so-called "perfect dress". This wedding had challenges and obstacles and they were carefully working through, hoping to have everything done on time.

One of the biggest obstacles was in front of them now. They got out of the truck and approached the house and stopped in front of the door.

"Why couldn't Rory be here again?" Luke asked.

"She is meeting with one of her professors who recommended her for the Reston Fellowship. It was the only time she could get it in. C'mon," she urged, "you don't need Rory."

"Sure, I do," he shot back immediately. "She would be on my side."

Lorelai linked her arm with his. "I'm on your side." He looked down at Lorelai, leaning against his shoulder. "United front, right?"

"Right." He exhaled and pushed the doorbell.

The maid must have been waiting to pounce. The door swung open and they went inside, handing off their coats. Lorelai took Luke's hand and led him into the living room.

Her mother stood up and turned to face them. "Lorelai—" her voice cut off as she saw Luke. Her face froze and her eyes flickered back and forth to each of them and then their clasped hands.

"Richard!" she almost shrieked.

"You owe me soooo big!" Luke hissed under his breath so Emily couldn't hear. Lorelai led him further into the lion's den.

"Hi, Mom. You remember Luke."

"Yes" Her voice was so cold that Luke believed that Hell truly _had_ frozen over.

"Emily," Luke decided to brazen it out and walked up to her and shook her hand. She grasped his hand like it was a dead snake. "It's nice to see you again."

They were spared her reply by Richard coming down the steps. He stopped at the bottom when he saw Luke.

"Well, this is a surprise," Richard said.

"You can say that again," Emily gritted out. "Where is Rory?"

"Yale and fellowship stuff, Mom." Lorelai replied. "It worked out though. Luke and I want to talk to you both."

Emily looked at Richard in trepidation, but Richard stepped forward.

"Come in, sit down and I'll fix drinks." Richard invited. "What will you have?"

"We don't have any _beer_," Emily nastily stressed the word.

"Whatever you normally have is fine," Luke managed.

Lorelai led him to the couch and they sat down. Emily sat and stared at them without moving or blinking. Richard brought around martinis and they each took a sip, but the tension in the room was too great. They both set them down and Richard sat down as well.

"Mom, stop," Lorelai said. "We are not an exhibit at the zoo."

"Alright," Emily said finally. "Out with it."

Luke and Lorelai exchanged glances. They knew Emily would not make this easy. It was downright intolerable but it had to be done.

"Well, Mom," Lorelai was gripping Luke's hand. "Luke and I have reconciled." Luke watched Emily's mouth drop open, disbelief written all over her face. "We are getting married."

"Married? Is this a joke?"

"No, Emily, its not," Luke spoke up. "We realized that we still love each other, we've worked through the issues we had and we _are_ going to be married."

"Lorelai." Emily directed her comments to her daughter, ignoring Luke, "your last marriage barely lasted two months. What makes you think this one will last any longer?"

"Because we love each other. We are meant to be together." Lorelai explained. "My marriage to Christopher was a mistake."

"A mistake to marry the father of your child?"

"Mom," Lorelai almost growled. "I will not go over this again. It was a mistake. It's over. Move on." Luke looked over at Richard who spared him a pained glance.

"I suppose you are going to elope again?"

"Actually, no Mom." Lorelai jumped in. "We, ah, neither of us want to elope." They had discussed eloping and both had negative reactions to the idea, given that they had both done it with other people and failed when they tried to do it themselves. "We are getting married. In seven weeks."

"Seven weeks!" Emily exclaimed. She finally caught sight of the engagement ring on Lorelai's left hand. "You were engaged a whole year the last time and you never got to the altar. Why are you rushing into this?"

"We aren't rushing into this Emily. We want to be together." Luke interjected in a firm voice. "We talked about it and we want Rory, April, the both of you and our friends at our wedding."

"Hmph." Emily looked skeptical.

The maid entered at that moment announcing that dinner was ready.

"You two go on ahead," Emily waved them on. "I need to speak to my husband for a moment."

As Luke escorted Lorelai into the dining room, she gave his arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Oh, sooooo big!" He whispered to her as they walked out of the room.

"Huge." She agreed, whispering back.

"Richard, we cannot condone this marriage." Emily said when the couple was out of earshot.

"Emily," Richard said tiredly. "Lorelai is a grown woman. She has to make her own decisions and we have to respect that."

"I respect nothing," Emily stated. "She still doesn't know what she is doing." She stalked out of the living room after them.

"Maybe she does," Richard said softly to himself then followed.

* * *

The _Lucky Chance_ bobbed way out in the ocean. The anchor had been dropped and from the outside it looked deserted. The sunlight bounced off the water and there was a gentle breeze making it the perfect Sunday afternoon.

Luke stood at the stove in a t-shirt and boxer shorts, making lunch. His attention wasn't on cooking. He was thinking about the pleasant hour he and Lorelai had spent in one of the bunks.

Suddenly he felt two arms twine around his waist. "Hey." Lorelai kissed his shoulder. Luke moved his arm around Lorelai so he could hold her against his side. She was wearing his flannel shirt. Her long legs were bare.

"Hey," he brushed his lips over hers.

"I woke up and you were gone."

"I thought you might be hungry."

"Good thinking." Lorelai suddenly stretched against him and he caught his breath. "Hmmm." She smiled wickedly, knowing that she was getting to him. "I like it out in the middle of nowhere, just you and me."

"You wanna toss the key away for real this time?" Luke's hand was moving down her back and then lower.

She giggled at the memory. "No." She looped her arms around his neck. "As much as I would like to, we both have things we need to do for the wedding before we leave for New Mexico Friday morning." A flicker of uncertainty crossed her face and he noticed it.

"You worried about April or Anna?" Luke asked.

"Anna. She made it very clear after April's birthday that unless we were married, she did not want me around her daughter. I don't think she is going to like this."

"She probably won't," Luke sighed. "But she has to understand, this is it. Nothing is going to stop us this time. Waiting until we are married before you and April can really spend time together, doesn't make sense."

"She doesn't know I took her shopping does she?"

"Not unless April told her. I haven't spoken to her yet." he admitted. "But she will."

Lorelai wasn't looking forward to seeing Anna. She could only guess she felt the same way Luke did when confronting her parents. "This time you are going to owe _me_ big," Lorelai poked his chest.

He shook his head, pulling her closer. "You still haven't finished making it up to me for Friday," he told her.

"Oh really?" Her eyes sparkled as she disentangled herself from his grasp. "I thought I took care of that earlier." He shook his head no.

She backed away from him giggling as he turned off the stove. He laughed and rushed her quickly, catching her up and tossing her over his shoulder and headed back to the sleeping compartment. She giggled the whole way.

* * *

The plane ride was uneventful. They chatted, they dozed, they took turns voicing their worries and bolstering each other up.

When they landed, Luke rented a car and drove to their hotel and they got ready to meet April. As they drove to the house, Lorelai tried to stay calm and relaxed but she couldn't crush a small feeling of despair. Anna had been so resolute the last time they had spoken. She remembered Anna telling her that people get engaged all the time but don't marry. She had been right. Not long after that she and Luke had broken up, suffering for a whole year apart, until now.

Luke parked the car in the driveway and looked over at Lorelai. She was lost in thought but he could easily imagine what she must be thinking. They had laid a lot of ghosts of their past mistakes to rest and it was time to face another one.

"It will be okay," Luke squeezed her hand, bringing her back to reality. He nodded at her confidently. "Everything is on our side this time."

Lorelai felt the strength coming from Luke and her fears scattered. He was right. This time it would be okay.

They got out of the car and walked to the front door. Lorelai put her hand on his arm for reassurance. Luke laid his hand over hers and patted it then rang the bell. After a moment, April answered the door.

"Hi, Dad," April greeted him. She noticed Lorelai and her eyes went wide.

"Lorelai?" she asked, her face suddenly became hopeful. Her eyes went back to her father then to the engagement ring on Lorelai's hand. "Does this mean…?"

Luke nodded and April squealed and launched herself at Luke, hugging him.

"This is fantastic! I had a feeling after the christening. I am so happy for you!" April gave Lorelai a big hug too.

"Where is your Mom?" Luke asked as they finally entered the house.

"She's out back," April turned to go get her mother and stopped. "Mom! Dad and Lorelai are here! They're getting married!"

Anna stood silently watching Luke and Lorelai. She was surprised to see Lorelai again. When Luke told her that he and Lorelai had broken up, she got the feeling he would never mention her again, let alone become engaged to marry her again.

"Well," Anna said, keeping her voice neutral, "This is a surprise. April, honey, can you go to your room for a minute while I talk to your Dad and Lorelai?"

"Uh, sure Mom," April replied. She sensed an undertone in her mother's voice. She looked from her mother to Luke uncertainly, then left the room.

"I thought I made myself clear," Anna began, looking at Luke, "I don't want April getting attached to any temporary people. I don't want her hurt!"

"Anna!" Luke said, controlling his irritation. "Lorelai is not a temporary person! We are getting married…"

"I've heard that before," Anna commented.

"…in six weeks," Luke finished. Anna looked at them both stunned. "It's really happening." Luke confirmed. "April has already met Lorelai. You saw how excited she was when she heard we are getting married. Isn't it time you dropped all these restrictions you've been putting on me, on us, and let the three of us spend time together?"

Anna looked a little frightened at his words. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

"I just want to spend time with April and Lorelai. I have the right, _a legal right_, to spend time with my daughter and I will decide how and who also spends time with her when we are together. Anna, I know we fought over custody. It was ugly and I don't want to fight you over April again."

Anna stood without moving, letting Luke's words sink in.

"Mom?" April's voice sounded behind her. "_You_ were the reason I never spent time with Lorelai?" April looked questioningly at her father. "Dad?"

"April," he said slowly, "I…" He didn't know how to tell April that even though he was at fault, her mother had contributed to part of the problem. His unwillingness to put April in the middle of his and Anna's fight and his hesitation answered April's question.

"Oh!" April said angrily, she backed away from her mother.

"April!" Anna ordered, "Come here!"

"No! How could you do this Mom? You knew how I wanted to get to know Dad and be a part of his life."

"April," Luke began.

"No!" She turned on Luke. "You should have told me what Mom was doing! This is totally unbelievable! I just can't talk to either of you right now..." April turned and ran out the back door.

"April, wait! Luke yelled. He started after her only to be stopped by Anna.

"Don't bother. She needs to work this out," Anna said worriedly. "She needs time to process this and I don't think either of us trying to talk to her now will be a help."

"How much time?" Luke asked. He had never seen April get mad before.

"I don't know," Anna admitted uneasily. "She's pretty angry."

"Well," Lorelai piped up, "she's not angry at me." She looked at Luke. "She never did come and talk to me after you two had your little talk. Maybe its time we did."

Anna looked like she was going to protest but Luke cut her off. He trusted Lorelai's parenting skills and would not be shy this time to ask for her help. "Go ahead. The fact that you're not one of her parents is bound to be in our favor."

Lorelai smiled at Luke and nodded briefly at Anna before she too headed out the back door. She walked to where April was sitting cross-legged on the ground staring out at the desert behind the house.

"Hey." Lorelai sat down next to her.

April didn't look up but picked up a couple of stones and pretended to study them. They sat in silence for a while.

"I don't understand." April said finally.

"What?" Lorelai asked.

"Why Mom had to make it so difficult for Dad. And for you." April confessed. "Why they have to fight over me. When I found my Dad I was glad to know who he was. When I got to know him, I realized he was kinda cool and I thought it would be okay if he was around. But Mom just freaks when he calls, freaks when he shows up and I don't know why."

"April," Lorelai chose her words carefully. "Both your Dad and your Mom love you very much, but I don't think they really have any idea of the relationship the other has with you. Your Mom didn't think it was important to tell Luke about you. Luke feels connected to you and wants to spend time with you but I think your mother feels threatened by that. I think they are both worried about the other one having a better relationship with you."

"I love them both." April said confused.

"And they both love you," Lorelai agreed. "They both have to work out the fact that you want to be with each of them and that doesn't mean you love either of them less."

"Aren't you mad at my Mom for shutting you out?"

Lorelai thought back to those depressing days after April's birthday party and sighed. "I am and I'm not. You have to understand, every decision she made, she made because she believed it was the best for you. I may not have agreed with her but her top priority was your well-being. How can I be mad at her for that?"

They both heard a sound behind them and turned around to see both Luke and Anna standing there.

Lorelai leaned closer to April. "Look at how worried they both are. They just want to be the best parents they can."

Anna looked at Lorelai in surprise but said nothing. April stared at them for a long moment then stood up and went to hug her mother. "Mom it will be okay." April pulled back and went and hugged Luke. He held her close. "You both are important people in my life. Please let it be okay that I need you both. And Mom," April looked at her mother, "Dad has Lorelai. She is part of who he is. I think its time I really got to know her."

Anna brushed away the tears in her eyes and looked at Lorelai. Lorelai had risen and was watching Anna's reaction.

Anna sighed, still not happy with the situation, but reluctantly nodded. "You guys have a great time. I'll see you on Sunday."

* * *

Logan slowly walked down the hall to the apartment he was sharing with Rory. He was tired, but happy. Things had gone well in San Francisco, much better than he had hoped. He managed to wind up his business meeting sooner than he expected and take an earlier flight. He wanted to take Rory out and celebrate his good news.

As he opened the door, he realized how quiet it was. No one was in the living room and both bedroom doors were closed. He walked to the door of his and Rory's bedroom and he suddenly had a bad feeling. Something was very wrong.

"Rory?" He opened the door and saw her lying on the bed. She turned to look at him. "Hey, Ace," he began, happy to see her, then stopped. "Rory?"

"I didn't get the Reston," she said quietly.

He dropped his bags in surprise then was quickly sitting beside her on the bed, pulling her up, into his arms.

"Man, I am so sorry," he said, feeling awful for her. "When did you find out? And why didn't you call me?"

"I found out yesterday," Her eyes were awash with tears. "I so _wanted_ that job, Logan. I was so hopeful that I would get it." Tears began rolling down her cheeks. "The last two days I have watched Paris get accepted at every law school and medical school she applied to. Why didn't I get this?"

"I don't know Rory." Logan desperately tried to think of something to bring up her spirits. "It just wasn't meant to be. That doesn't mean that its all over."

"You know how much I wanted this!" Rory cried emphatically. She pulled away from him.

"Yeah, I did. But now that its not going to happen, maybe we should look at alternatives."

"I haven't heard from any of the other papers I applied to," she said dispiritedly.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Logan replied. He was thinking about how his good fortune could be their good fortune. "Things went well in San Francisco. Extremely well, actually. I have an appointment with my father to discuss the trip and god-forbid, ask his advice, but Rory," his eyes were shining, "I did it. I'm back in the game and things will be like they were before."

"And that's an alternative?" Rory shook her head not understanding.

"Yes!" Logan said excitedly. "I'll have to be in San Francisco for a while, but there is no reason why you can't come with me."

"And do what?" Rory demanded. "I didn't apply to any of the San Francisco papers. I didn't factor that into my decision."

"Well, maybe I factor you in and you don't do anything for a while," Logan said, barely containing a smile. He shook his head. "Your mom and Luke getting engaged again got me thinking." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black velvet box and opened it. Rory gasped and stared at the engagement ring. "Maybe when we go to San Francisco, it will be on our honeymoon."

"Logan…" Rory was bewildered. "You can't propose to me just to pick up my spirits."

"I know," Logan said trying to convince her. "But Rory, think about it. We won't have to worry about money. We'll be together. Hell, work, don't work, I don't care, I just want us to be together."

"I could never be one of those women who stayed at home and did nothing!" Rory argued. "I'm a Gilmore!" Her mother raised her to be her own woman.

"You'll be a Huntzberger!" Logan exclaimed. "Do charity work if you want to keep occupied. When we have kids you'll stop working anyway. So does it really matter in the long run?"

Rory looked at Logan like he had lost him mind. After all the years they spent together, he really didn't know her at all. He may have convinced himself he had changed but when push came to shove, he still fell back on that silver spoon mentality. It hurt her that he could so cavalierly cast off her dreams of being a serious journalist. She knew she couldn't live the kind of life his mother lived or even her own grandmother. She had tried that before and she knew it wasn't for her.

Rory pushed him away feeling even more despondent. "Logan…no. I can't live that kind of life. And I can't be with someone who can't encourage me to be my own person."

"Rory," Logan argued, "You are your own person. I'm just suggesting you step back for a while and if you don't want to work, you won't have to."

She got up from the bed with an odd feeling of déjà vu. When she had left Yale, she drifted aimlessly and nearly lost her momentum, lost sight of her goals, of who she wanted to be. Now she was confronted with the same feelings but this time Logan was encouraging her to let all of her dreams go. She couldn't let that happen and she couldn't be with someone who would foster those lower expectations for her. "No." She took a deep breath, keeping her anguish at bay, at least for the moment. "Logan…please leave."

"Rory, don't do this," Logan said angrily realizing she was really refusing him. "Think about this, please."

"I don't have to think about it," Rory decided. "I can't live that kind of life." She stood up and moved away from him. "I want you to leave," she said firmly. "Just go."

Logan stood up shocked that everything had fallen apart so suddenly. He could tell Rory really meant it and he knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind. The tone of her voice, the look in her eyes immediately convinced him that he had lost her, this time for good.

Logan picked up his suitcases, walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. A moment later, Rory heard the second door close. She took a deep breath that ended on a sob. Everything was falling apart.

She threw herself on the bed and cried.

* * *

"I still can't believe how well the weekend went," Lorelai said as they drove through Stars Hollow.

"Yeah, it did," Luke agreed. "But don't think I am going to cave every time you and April gang up on me."

"What, you didn't enjoy sightseeing? We so wanted to get you a bracelet for you other wrist." Lorelai said mischievously.

Luke shot her a look. Lorelai hadn't mocked him about his "jewelry". He wore the bracelet because April gave it to him but he really wasn't a "bracelet" kind of guy.

"Thankfully you were satisfied with the turquoise we got for you instead." Luke said as Lorelai played with the earrings Luke had bought her. As he looked at her, she saw her grow serious. "What?" he asked.

"I still get the feeling Anna isn't too happy about me spending time with April."

Luke had to agree. "Maybe in time she'll get used to it. She'll have to." He pulled the truck into the driveway. "She has no choice in the matter." Luke said firmly.

Lorelai smiled at him as he parked the truck. Luke was determined to have both Lorelai and April together and in his life. She felt an overflowing feeling of love for him, how right he was making things for them after they had been so wrong.

They got out of the truck and Luke grabbed their bags and they headed to the porch. They had only gone a few steps when Lorelai saw Rory sitting on the top step.

"Hey, kiddo…" she began and stopped when she got a good look at her daughter. "Rory!" she said alarmed.

"Mom!" Rory flung herself at her mother. "Oh god, it's all so awful!"

Rory clutched at her mother desperately, everything suddenly too much to bear. She had been waiting for them for the past hour and she had dwelled too long on the events of the past few days and fallen into a deeper despair.

"Rory," Lorelai comforted her daughter. She felt Luke's arms around them both as well, lending his support.

"Let's go inside," Luke said, worry written all over his face. Rory seemed almost close to a breakdown.

Together they helped Rory into the house and to the couch and sat on either side of her.

"Rory, tell us," Lorelai pleaded.

"It started when I got the letter from _The New York Times_," she sobbed.

"Oh no," Lorelai said hollowly, suddenly knowing what she was going to hear and dreading it.

"I didn't get it."

"Aww hon." She was hugging Rory close and rubbing her back. "I am _so_ sorry. But you knew that was a possibility when you applied."

"I know," Rory said tearfully. "But later that day Logan came home. He was sorry too and that things went well in San Francisco and he asked me to marry him…

"What??" Both Lorelai and Luke exclaimed in unison.

"He said I didn't have to work! Oh Mom, he wants to me to be someone like his mother or grandma and spend my days arranging teas and doing society functions!" Rory wailed.

"What did you say to him?" Lorelai asked stunned.

"I told him to leave and he did. We broke up. It's over." Rory dissolved in tears in her mother's arms.

Lorelai looked at Luke in agony over Rory's situation. He had laid a hand on Rory's back, not knowing what he could do to take away her pain.

"I'm sorry for coming here and dumping this on you." Rory sniffed. "I just feel so lost."

"That's my job and I wouldn't trade it for the world," Lorelai replied. She hugged Rory tighter. "We'll find your way back together."

"Hey," Luke leaned in a little closer. "I'm gonna run to the diner and whip you up some of your favorite comfort food. I'll be right back."

Rory gave him a watery smile then launched herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

Luke hugged her back for a second then extricated himself. "I'll be right back," he brushed away her tears. "It won't be so bad once you've had coffee."

His words struck the right note. Rory settled back and began to wipe her eyes and compose herself. Luke caught Lorelai's eye and she nodded. He got up and walked out, knowing there would be more tears but for now, mother and daughter needed some alone time and Lorelai would handle it.

Luke left, knowing he would be bringing back enough food and coffee to feed an army. They would get her through this, together.

* * *

"You let her live in this place for the past two years?" Luke asked incredulously. They were walking up the steps to Rory's apartment.

"I didn't have much choice in the matter," Lorelai replied. "She moved in with Paris when she came back to Yale and I couldn't talk her out of it. Thank goodness she will be out of here soon."

"That is _not_ a Do-Wop group downstairs," Luke pointed out.

"Luke," Lorelai turned to him. 'Rory's graduating today. Once that is done, we'll find her an apartment in Stamford, a good one in a nice neighborhood and it will be fine."

"Hmmm." Luke responded.

Lorelai had to agree with him. She was glad Rory was getting out of this place but she was troubled about the new direction her daughter's life was taking. After losing the fellowship and breaking up with Logan, Rory had returned to finish her classes, but it was different. The double blow seemed to sap her confidence and lower her faith in her own abilities. She still wanted to be a journalist, but her fervor, her momentum, though not gone, was definitely diminished. Rory was gun-shy. She had accepted a writing position with the _Stamford Eagle Gazette_, the same paper she had interned with two years ago. Lorelai was both pleased and troubled by her daughter's choice. With the wedding a scant few weeks away, Lorelai knew she would be glad that Rory was nearby, but troubled that Rory was falling back and taking a "safe" job.

Lorelai knocked at the door. Doyle immediately answered.

"Hi," Lorelai said. "It's Show-time!"

"Rory, Paris!" Doyle called over his shoulder as he let them in. "Time to go!"

Both girls emerged from their rooms in cap and gowns. The sight of her daughter suddenly brought tears to her eyes. She blinked back the wave of emotion.

"I always knew this day would come." Lorelai smiled. Rory smiled faintly as her mother hugged her.

"Yeah I can't believe this phase of our lives is finally over," Paris agreed. She looked at Rory. "We've been through it all the past seven years, haven't we?" She looked at Rory and suddenly the two of them were hugging, realizing this would be the end of an era for them.

"What are your plans Paris?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, Doyle and I are taking a week and we are going to the Bahamas and swim with the sharks…" Paris rattled off.

Luke leaned in between Lorelai and Rory and whispered, "Someone better warn the sharks."

"…then we are going back to New York and get settled in our apartment and then we'll be seeing you at the wedding and then Columbia here I come." Paris continued on without hearing Luke's comment.

"Hey look at the time," Rory stated. She was feeling a little uncomfortable with Paris' talk of her future dream coming true.

Luke and Lorelai exchanged glances but they didn't have time to discuss it with Rory now. "Let's get the show on the road," Lorelai said as they left the apartment.

* * *

Richard and Emily stood outside the auditorium waiting. For Richard, it had been very pleasant. He conversed with acquaintances and alumni and good-naturedly relayed his plan of teaching again for the fall semester. Emily pleasantly chatted with familiar faces as well, enjoying the time she spent on campus and proudly informing people that her granddaughter was graduating today summa cum laude. She suddenly spied someone she had not expected to see.

"Christopher!" she called.

Christopher turned at the sound of his name and saw Richard and Emily. He hesitated then proceeded over to them.

"Hello, Richard, Emily," he shook both of their hands.

"Well, I'm surprised to see you here," Emily speculated.

"Rory is graduating from Yale." Christopher replied. "You can't expect me to miss my daughter's graduation do you?"

"Well, I just thought considering the circumstances…" Emily trailed off.

Christopher tamped down the sudden annoyance he was feeling with his former mother-in-law. He had been witness to and victim of her scathing tongue in the past and was not looking forward to it today, but today was about Rory and he wanted to be there. He would make the best of the situation if he could.

"Excuse me a moment, Emily, Christopher. There is the dean and I need to speak with him." Richard went off.

"Lorelai went to escort Rory to campus," Emily explained, then gave him a look. "Luke went with her."

Christopher nodded, not really surprised. After their last encounter in the diner, he was pretty sure they would be getting back together.

"You don't seem surprised," Emily observed.

"No, I'm not," Christopher admitted. "I'm just sorry it took so long for them to get back together."

"They're going to be married in a few weeks." Emily watched him closely for his reaction. She was disappointed when he did not show any surprise.

"About time," he said shortly, hoping to spread the annoyance around.

Emily studied him, trying to figure out why he was acting the way he was. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you did _claim_ to love my daughter?"

"I did and in a way I still do."

"Then why aren't you fighting for her? The two of you belong together. You have Rory. You were always meant to be together."

"We _were_ together, Emily," Christopher replied, irritated. "We were married but it didn't work." He eyed Emily knowingly. "You don't like Luke. You've made that plain in the past. But I'll be damned if I allow you to rope me into some scheme to keep them apart." He leaned closer to Emily. "They're in love. They're together. Live with it."

"You said you still love her."

I'll always love her. She's Rory's mother. But it's taken me a long and painful time to realize I can't be what she needs and I am not the type of husband she wants or needs. And I won't discuss it any further," he declared.

"Mom!" Lorelai called to her mother as she spied her in the crowd. Christopher turned at that moment and Lorelai looked to Luke who was trying but looked less than thrilled by Christopher's presence. This was bound to be uncomfortable.

"Hey Lor!" Christopher was actually relieved to see them. He came up to them and normally he would have kissed her hello but decided against it. "Luke!" He grabbed Luke's hand and shook it. "Good to see you again!"

They both were too stunned by his enthusiastic greeting to do anything but stand there. Emily was watching all three of them in open-mouthed surprise and Richard came back at that moment to join the group.

"Did you pick up Rory?" Richard asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai answered her father. "She and Paris are with the other graduates lining up for the procession."

"Good, good," Richard said. If noticed the uncomfortable situation, he chose to ignore it. "Let's go to our seats shall we?"

Richard led them to their seats and ushered Luke in first, followed by Lorelai, then Christopher, himself and finally Emily. Both Luke and Lorelai wondered at the seating arrangement and while Luke wasn't pleased that Christopher was on the other side of Lorelai, he understood why and was glad Emily had been seated as far away from him as possible.

The graduation began. The group watched as graduates march into the auditorium and nudged each other and pointed when they recognized Rory. They sat through the commencement address, the speeches, the music, and then finally they came to the part they were waiting for.

The dean solemnly announced each graduate's name and then suddenly there it was.

"Lorelai Leigh Gilmore."

Lorelai was overcome by a burst of happiness. Her purse fell to the floor as she gripped Luke's hand and then surprisingly Christopher's too. Rory walked up, accepted her diploma and shook the dean's hand. Both men looked at Lorelai and realized she was holding on to both of them. Luke and Christopher looked at one another and at that moment they both felt the definite bond with the young woman exiting the stage and the woman between them who have given birth to her.

Emily also looked down the row to see how Lorelai was reacting. She remembered the goofy face Rory had made at her high school graduation and hoped they wouldn't embarrass her by doing something similar. Instead she watched Lorelai clasp Luke's hand then Christopher's, suddenly and inextricably linking all three of them together. As she watched, she saw Lorelai glance at Luke and they both shared a proud smile.

Emily tried but couldn't quell her unease.

* * *

"Let's get a picture of the whole family together," Emily decided. "Here, Luke, you're not family. Please take a picture of all of us."

Both Lorelai and Rory gaped at the new level of insensitivity Emily Gilmore had stooped.

Lorelai looked at Luke. He wasn't happy about the current situation but he had to admit, they were family. Emily's constant smirk was making him feel like an outsider. She had him taking pictures of all the Gilmores and Christopher, then pictures of Lorelai, Rory and Christopher. After he took the last picture, both Rory and Lorelai practically charged him wanting to get the some pictures with him in them.

"Oh, we've posed for enough pictures," Emily said.

"No, Mom, we haven't," Lorelai objected. "We want to get some shots with Luke in them."

"I'm sure we can take a few more pictures," Richard allowed.

"Here," Christopher came forward and took the camera from Luke. "Why don't you all get together and I'll take the picture."

Luke shot Lorelai a look, and she shook her head indicating that she had no idea what was going on either. Richard gathered Emily close for the photo.

"That's right, big smiles," Christopher looked through the lens. "Big smile, Emily." Emily glared at him. "Good. Now let's get a picture of the three of you."

Emily was more than happy to step out of the picture. Luke, Lorelai and Rory all exchanged confused glances.

"What in the hell is going on here?" Luke questioned quietly.

"I'm not sure which of them has had the aneurysm," Lorelai wondered about her mother's witchy behavior and Christopher's pod person about-face.

"Big smiles," Christopher said again. He snapped the photo. "That was a good one." He walked over to Lorelai and before he handed her the camera, he turned and shot a glare at Emily which she returned with interest.

"Well, it was great seeing you all, but I have to leave now," Christopher said stepping over to Rory and handing her an envelope. "Buy something for your new apartment kiddo." He hugged her and left.

Both Luke and Lorelai watched him go, both of them wondering what had happened because Emily and Christopher were obviously not getting along.

"Do we want to know?" Lorelai asked.

"No we don't," Luke decided. "But hey, ya know for once, I think I'm glad to see Christopher," Luke remarked.

tbc.


	5. So Much for Going Slow

Hi y'all. I know a lot of people are bummed about the news but what can you do? When I started writing this I thought I would write my ending and we'd still have next season.

Ah, well. Some of you may like this (I still have one more chapter, in progress), some of you may not. You know the drill. If you feel strongly enough about it, let me know. I do enjoy the reviews.

This one is the longest one yet.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, now no one ever will but screw it they get to play!

So Much for Going Slow

Lorelai walked into the kitchen of the Dragonfly. Sookie was busily chopping up fruit for her special summer fruit salad. The kitchen staff was busily preparing the day's menu.

"Morning Sookie" Lorelai greeted her.

"Hey, hon," Sookie returned the greeting. "How are you today?"

Lorelai laughed. "Running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I still don't know if we will have everything ready in time."

"I can't believe it's only a week and a half away." Sookie said, "When's Rory coming in?"

"She won't be able to make it in until the day before. Being new to the writing staff, she is low man on the totem pole. I just wish…" Lorelai trailed off, looking troubled.

"What?" Sookie prompted.

"I'm worried about her. It's her job, Sookie." Lorelai confessed. "I think she should have held out and kept looking. Once she lost the fellowship, she seemed so uncertain. I think she took this job because she was afraid of not being good enough. This job seems very small-town and safe. Rory's career plans always were much bolder, adventurous and, I don't know, exciting."

"Maybe she just needs time. She had a setback. It happens to everyone. Rory's been fortunate in her academic career. You have to admit, she has had an easy time of it so far. She'll have to work for it. And she will." Sookie nodded then decided to move on to happier thoughts. "But enough about Rory. What about you? Other than the food, is everything finished up for the wedding?"

"Well, thank god you have everything together for the catering, which, by the way, I can't imagine how you are doing this or thank you enough. I just don't want you to overdo."

"Hey, I have been waiting a long time for this. It has to be perfect and I can't see anyone doing it better than me. I am fine. You are gonna love Stan." Sookie was slicing up strawberries.

"Stan? Oh, you named the cake."

"Yep, it looks like a Stan. He should be big enough to feed everybody."

"We've got the head count and I think practically every person we've invited is going to be there." Lorelai shook her head in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised how people changed their plans to go to this wedding." Sookie agreed. "A lot of people have been waiting for this day for a long time. Is everything else done?"

"Pretty much. We've got the music set; I checked with Pastor Todd, everything is confirmed for the church and the reception hall. The flowers will be blooming; we've confirmed the photographer and the videographer. We've got the second-best room here at the Inn, though. I wish we could have gotten the honeymoon suite, but it was already booked.

"Aww, that too bad," Sookie was focusing on paring the apples.

"Let's see what else?"

"Your dress?"

"Oh, yes the dress! Well, you've seen my dress, its beautiful; I just had my last fitting. Rory is going to look gorgeous in her dress. April is will be will look very chic in a tuxedo." Lorelai started absentmindedly moving plates on the counter, wedding plans filling her head.

"I think its cute Luke made her best man." Sookie chuckled as she continued cutting.

"Yeah, I think he got the idea from my parents' 40th anniversary vow renewal. Of course, Rory didn't wear a tux. We also got her a dress if she wants to change for the reception." Lorelai nibbled at the food, not paying much attention to what she was doing, remembering how her daughter looked.

"How's Luke holding up?"

"Surprisingly well," Lorelai continued nibbling. "For a guy who didn't want to get married a year ago, he is actually eager to walk down the aisle."

How are _your_ nerves?" Sookie had to ask.

"Fine." Lorelai assured her. "Look" she popped another piece of food in her mouth as Sookie looked up and held out both hands. "Hands rock steady."

Sookie stared at her and dropped the knife. As Lorelai watched her, she saw her eyes grow big. Lorelai became alarmed.

"Sookie, is it the baby?" Lorelai quickly went to her side.

"Out!" Sookie screamed. "Everybody out!"

Lorelai never saw the kitchen staff clear out so fast. "Sookie?"

"Lorelai?" Sookie questioned her. Lorelai looked at her in confusion.

"What?"

"You _really_ aren't paying attention, are you?"

"I don't understand!"

"Look at what you're doing!" Sookie pointed out.

"What am I doing?" Lorelai asked, still confused. "I'm standing here, talking to you and having a little snack…" her hand was hovering over the fruit. Apples?

"Oh my god!" The realization dawned.

"You're telling me you don't know?"

"Sookie! I didn't know, I mean I don't know!"

"You and Luke have…." Sookie trailed off as she gestured to Lorelai.

"Of course, we have!" Lorelai stated the obvious, furiously thinking. "But we've been careful…" she paused thinking back, remembering and her eyes widened as she stared at Sookie. She was suddenly out of breath as the idea went from complete impossibility to absolute certainty. She had been so focused on the Luke, the wedding and Rory that her regular day-to-day, or rather month-to month happenings had totally slipped her mind. She needed to know now and she knew if she went to the local pharmacy, it would be all over town immediately.

"I'm going to Woodbridge. I'll be back shortly."

* * *

Luke was delivering a couple of burgers when Lorelai rushed into the diner. 

"Hey," he smiled, confused that she was in the diner at this time of day. She looked at him a little wildly. "Is everything okay?"

"We need to talk. Upstairs. _Now._" She was gone through the curtains before he could reply.

"Cesar! I'll be right back!" Luke was already on the steps, running upstairs.

Lorelai was pacing nervously when Luke entered the apartment. He shut the door and leaned against it, watching her.

"Lorelai?" he questioned.

Lorelai took a deep breath and went to him, drawing him into the room. "Come here," she guided him to the couch. "Sit down."

"What is it?" he was becoming concerned by her behavior.

"I need you to be calm." How was she going to tell him this? How would he react? She stood before him wringing her hands.

"Lorelai…" he warned. He was starting to feel very alarmed.

"Okay!" She took a deep breath. "I was at the Inn, talking to Sookie and we were going over the plans for the wedding and she was cooking and I was nibbling and I didn't notice what I was eating but Sookie did and she yelled for everybody to get out of the kitchen…"

"Lorelai!"

"I was picking at the fruit, particularly the apples. The last time I did that," she paused, letting the words sink in, "I was pregnant with Rory."

Luke opened his mouth but no words came out.

"So," she kept going, "I went to Woodbridge and picked up a couple of pregnancy tests and I went back to the Inn and took them." She let out another deep breath. "And they were all positive."

"When?" he managed to get out, "We were careful—"

"Not on the day you proposed."

"Oh." He was remembering. That had been such an eventful day, now in more ways than one. "Wow. First time?" His voice sounded curiously flat and Lorelai could see him start taking in this new information. She was getting agitated by his lack of response and afraid he wouldn't be able to handle this, so soon.

"Yeah," she said irritably and gave him two-thumbs up. "Score!"

Luke didn't hear her words or her tone and was completely lost in thought. His mind was a jumble of confused thoughts, each clamoring to be examined and processed. They had made it back to each other. They were going to be married soon, starting their life together and now…

Lorelai watched Luke. He was gone from the conversation, gone from the outside world, completely wrapped up in the fact that he was going to be a father. Again. She knew he needed time to process this, but she needed him to help her with it as well.

"Luke," she said quietly staring at him. He looked a million miles away. "How do you feel about us having a baby?"

Lorelai's voice sliced through the fog in his brain and on the tail of her question he remembered her sleepy comment 'kids would be nice….' Immediately he focused back on her with an intensity that made her a little afraid. He stood up and approached her knowing she was freaking out in her Lorelai way and needed some sign from him. This was one thing he really did not have to process.

He stood up and walked over to her and slipped his arms around her. He steadily met her nervous gaze then smiled gently.

"I couldn't be happier," he said simply.

Lorelai looked deeply into his eyes and realized he spoke the truth. She gasped in relief. She was happy about the baby; her only concern was how he would handle it.

"Really? I mean, we talked about kids long ago but not having them this quickly."

"I'll admit it's a lot sooner than expected but we aren't getting any younger."

"Hey!" she objected.

He hugged her and she could feel his elation communicating itself to her. Suddenly he swung her around in a circle.

"Luke!" she said surprised then was hugging him back, completely happy.

Luke drew back then kissed her softly. "This is fantastic. I mean, we have Rory and we have April but this is you and me."

"What about the wedding? Should we get married as soon as possible?" she asked. "When do we tell people?"

He looked at her like she had lost her mind but realized he had an answer for her. "The way I see it we have three options. We can elope now and still go through the ceremony _next week_, or we can elope and say the hell with the ceremony _next week_, or we just keep our mouths shut and finally keep a secret from this town and get married as planned _next week_. Personally I vote for option three."

"But Rory and April?"

"We can tell them together, just them, when they come in for the wedding on Friday." He grinned at her. "You have sworn Sookie to secrecy, if that's possible?"

"She swore on the heads of her children. She meant it too."

"Okay," Luke was beaming. "We'll focus on getting married first and when the time is right, we will tell everybody else. We'll keep this our little secret. No one will know."

Lorelai looked at him. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. She poked him. "One look at you, mister and they'll know. Your face is like a billboard saying 'I knocked her up!'" Lorelai complained.

"I'll contain myself, I promise," he said hugging her closely. He was happy about the wedding, the baby, her being there in the middle of the day, in his arms…all alone. He nuzzled her neck. "Hey, have I told you how much I love you today?"

"Not yet," Lorelai rebuked him softly as he continued to kiss and nuzzle her neck. She was definitely sensing his mood. "But I am getting the idea."

"Uh-huh." He pulled her closer to him. "Come here," he maneuvered back towards the bed. "Let me show you."

"Uh-huh," she didn't protest and went willingly. "This is how I got in this condition in the first place, buster!"

* * *

Luke grinned at Lorelai as they walked up to her parents' front door. 

"Hey," she elbowed him. "Be serious. You are going to tip them off that something is up if you show up looking so damned happy."

"Hey I _am_ happy," Luke shrugged. So far they had managed to act normally and no one was the wiser that anything was up. When they were alone, the joy came back full force. "But you're right." He put on serious face; the only thing that betrayed him was the look in his eyes, which they could always chalk up to the upcoming wedding. "Can we wait to tell your parents until after the baby is born?"

"Uh, they might figure it out before that." Lorelai thought for a minute. "After the wedding we'll sit them down. It will probably go over better if they find out after we're married."

"Works for me." He rang the bell.

The maid let them in and they proceeded to the living room. Richard and Emily were there waiting.

"Well there you are," Emily said mild irritated. "We weren't sure you were going to show up. Is everything alright?" Her voice indicated only mild interest.

"Everything is fine, Mom." Lorelai said, "You know how it is. Wedding stuff. Last minute details, loose ends to tie up, unexpected guests…." Luke looked at her startled. She gave him a wicked grin in return.

"People can be so obtuse when it comes to the RSVP," Emily went on oblivious to the undercurrent in the conversation.

"What can I get you two to drink?" Richard asked. "The usual?"

"Oh." Lorelai looked at Luke and now she was startled. They hadn't thought about Friday night cocktails. "Just club soda, Dad."

"Make it two," Luke piped up. He hated club soda.

Emily was watching them closely. "What's wrong with you two? Why aren't you drinking? Lorelai, usually you guzzle your drinks like a drunken sailor."

Lorelai tried to keep her voice neutral. "I am just not in a drinking mood today Mom. I drank all day yesterday and decided to give my liver a break today, okay?" Richard handed them their drinks. They both took a sip and Luke swallowed, careful not to grimace and set his drink down.

"You're both acting very strange," Emily eyes narrowed on them. "And I don't believe for a second you would turn down a drink." She huffed. "The only reason you would not drink is if you are sick or preg—"

Lorelai to freeze her expression to keep from reacting but it was too late.

"Oh my god!" Emily gasped, coming to her feet. "You're pregnant!"

Both Lorelai and Luke hesitated and that was all the confirmation Emily needed.

"I cannot believe you did this—again! Lorelai, for heaven's sake!"

"Emily, we were planning to have children. It's just a little sooner than we expected." Luke jumped in to try and take the brunt of the blame. Luke looked to Richard. He was unnaturally still. Richard met Luke's gaze and he could feel a sense of resignation coming from him. Luke knew he had lost some ground with him in his effort to fit in with Lorelai's family.

"Oh please!" Emily railed. "This is no accident! It's a mistake! But then again, I shouldn't be surprised since Lorelai is consorting with the likes of you!"

"Mom!" Lorelai shouted. "Don't you dare insult Luke! I won't allow it!"

"Lorelai, don't shout at your mother," Richard said loudly.

"You won't allow it?" Emily sneered. "You've allowed quite enough! It's not enough that you got pregnant at sixteen, but now, you are supposed to be an adult, grown up and mature and still you managed to get yourself knocked up by some _common_ hash-slinger!"

Lorelai flinched in pain at her mother's spiteful words. Her mother always knew just what to say to cause the most hurt. Luke surged to his feet.

"Emily! I don't care what you say about me. I'll never change your opinion of me and I can accept that. But I'll be damned if I allow you to hurt and insult the mother of my child with your vicious tongue!" Luke's growling rant silenced her. "We are getting married in a week! This pregnancy may not have been planned but I will not allow you to add to the stress that Lorelai is dealing with now. And until you can learn to speak to my future wife with the decency and respect that she deserves, we will not set foot in this house!"

Lorelai stood up next to Luke and gripped his arm. "Let's go." Lorelai said in a low, tearful voice.

"How dare you!" Emily screeched at them as they made their way to the door and grabbed their coats. "Richard!" She appealed to her husband.

Luke slammed the door behind them and helped Lorelai into the truck. He got in himself. He was in a daze and couldn't believe how quickly the situation had spiraled out of control, or what he had just said.

"Oh my god, I issued your mother an ultimatum." He looked over at Lorelai afraid he might have gone too far. He saw the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she said shakily, "for defending me." She looked at him. "You were right. I can't go through this with her again." Luke put his arms around her. "Looks like history is going to repeat itself," she said forlornly. All the Friday night dinners, any chance of having some sort of relationship with her parents was gone, all gone.

Luke held her close then she pulled away. "Let's get out of here."

Richard watched from the window as the truck pulled away. Behind him Emily was rapidly pacing the floor, talking to herself, venting her anger at the world in general.

"Emily," Richard said in a serious tone, "we need to talk about this."

"Richard! Did you hear what he said to me? He's rude and uncouth and I will not allow him to dictate terms to me! I don't ever want to see him again!"

Emily, calm down." He led her to the couch. "Sit down and think about this, I beg you."

"Richard, she's unmarried and pregnant again."

"Emily," he began with difficulty. "I would have preferred it the other way around but they are getting married in a week. Emily," he leaned over and took her hand, looking her straight in the eye. "I want you to think about this carefully. When Lorelai left with Rory, it took years before we became part of their lives again. If it hadn't been for Chilton, we might never have reconciled. Rory is already working at her job in Stamford. We won't be seeing as much of her anymore. I don't know about you, Emily, but I am having a hard time coming to grips with that."

Emily looked at her husband, her eyes glistening with tears.

"I know you want the best for Lorelai. I do too." Richard said gently. "Emily, think about her happiness for a moment. I believe she loves Luke very deeply. Regardless of his background and social standing, he is a good man who loves her and will stand by her. I don't want to lose my daughter again and the chance to know another grandchild. I know you think you know best Emily, but I think its time you accepted that Lorelai does know what's right for her and not try to come between them."

Emily was thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes widened as she remember a certain letter her mother-in-law had written trying to do the same thing she was doing now.

"Oh, Richard!" She sobbed in his arms.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to eat at the diner?" Luke asked skeptically. "I think it would be better if we went home." They had had debated going out to dinner but finally decided to return to Stars Hollow. 

"I can't handle going home just yet," Lorelai said. "The walls will just close in on me until I come to grips with this."

"We can always stay upstairs tonight," Luke offered. "We both have a least a change of clothes left there."

"We'll see," Lorelai allowed. "Right now I'm very hungry."

Luke was relieved on hearing that. "You're always hungry."

"Hey, I'm eating for two remember?"

"Okay," Luke parked the truck. "I'll whip up…something special. I don't know what but I'm sure I'll come up with something."

They walked into the empty diner. "Cesar!" Luke called out. Lorelai sat down at a table.

"Hey Luke," Cesar came out from the kitchen. "You're back early."

"Yeah. You can take off if you want. I'll close."

As Cesar left, Luke went back into the kitchen and Lorelai moved to the counter. She was saddened by the evening's events but she deliberately pushed it out of her mind for now. A little time and distance from the situation would help her think about it more clearly.

"What are you making me?" Lorelai shouted. "Whatever it is, make it good and lots of it!"

"It's a surprise, but I'll make enough to feed a small army," Luke shouted back. "And seeing the way you eat, I might just have enough!" he teased.

"Hey!"

The door chimed as someone walked into the diner. "We're closed!" Luke yelled.

Lorelai turned apologetically to the customers. "I'm sorry…." She stuttered to a stop. "Luke," she managed to gasp.

Luke rushed out of the kitchen and stopped short, staring dumbfounded at Richard and Emily Gilmore. They all stared at each other for a long moment.

"We went to your house first then tried here. May we come in?" Richard asked tentatively.

Luke gave Lorelai a questioning glance. She shook her head then shrugged, unable to make a decision. Luke let out a breath.

"Ah, sure," he agreed then held up his hand, "but no harsh words spoken here. Diner rule."

"You have the most interesting rules in your diner," Richard commented.

"Keeps me sane," Luke replied.

Emily hesitantly went and sat next to Lorelai. "Lorelai," she said in a low voice, "I'm…I'm sorry for what I said to you tonight. I was shocked and wasn't thinking and I said some awful things to you." She put her hand over Lorelai's but Lorelai withdrew her hand. She wasn't looking at her mother.

"Lorelai, please," Emily pleaded. "I'm trying to apologize. I'm trying to make things right between us. I don't want to lose you again."

"Mom," Lorelai said tearfully. "I don't want to lose you and Dad either. I _want_ to believe you. But you can't keep passing your judgments on me. I have enough to deal with the wedding and the baby. I can't handle anymore."

"I understand," Emily nodded. "I promise not to upset you." Lorelai looked over at her in disbelief. They each had a knack for upsetting the other and they both knew it. "I promise to try, Lorelai. Please."

"What about Luke?" Lorelai asked looking over to where he was standing quietly. "You can't keep treating him the way you do. Mom, he is going to be with me the rest of my life."

Emily glanced at Luke and their eyes locked. Luke knew it would take a long time, if ever, for Emily to accept him. He was secretly relieved that Emily had come so soon to make peace with her daughter and he was sure Richard had a hand in it. He decided he could at least try to meet Emily halfway for Lorelai's sake.

"It will fine." Luke responded. He walked behind the counter and stopped in front of Lorelai and squeezed her hand. He looked at Emily again and nodded. "We'll work on it. We'll be fine." Emily nodded in agreement, relieved. After the way she had been treating him, she wouldn't have been surprised if he declared that they would never see them again.

"I better get back to dinner before it burns." Luke headed back into the kitchen. "Ah, there's plenty. Would you like to stay?" He knew he was pushing his luck here but he was trying to keep the truce going for as long as he could.

Richard looked to Emily for confirmation. She gave a small nod. "Thank you that would be nice."

Luke went back into the kitchen and resumed cooking. Lorelai gestured to a table and Richard and Emily went and sat down while Lorelai went behind the counter to get silverware. She locked the door to the diner.

A while later Luke came out with dinner. He didn't make anything fancy, but something they all would enjoy and they all settled down to eat. Conversation was decidedly light as they steered away from hot topics, at least for this dinner. Conversation centered on the Inn and happenings in the town, the biggest of which was currently the wedding.

Once they finished, Luke cleared the plates. "How about some strawberry rhubarb pie?"

"With coffee?" Lorelai asked hopefully. Luke had already weighed in on her coffee addiction in regards to the baby and was trying to wean her off of it.

"Milk," Luke shot back decisively. "You need the calcium."

Lorelai stuck out her lower lip, pouting but Luke was not swayed. "Quit your pouting and I might even make it chocolate," he bargained. She smiled in agreement. He quickly cut and served the pie, poured coffee for Richard and Emily and got chocolate milk for Lorelai and tea for himself.

Emily surreptitiously watched the two of them interact and saw a side of them she had never seen before. Luke sat sipping a cup of tea while they all ate the pie, his eyes on Lorelai. Maybe it was their surroundings or the impossibility of Gilmore's eating at the diner, but they seemed to have forgotten Richard and Emily completely. When Lorelai noticed Luke watching, he deliberately pointed towards the milk prompting her to pick up the glass and drink deeply. She had a chocolate moustache when she lowered the glass. Luke rolled his eyes at her and she leaned over and kissed him, getting milk on him too. He wiped off the milk laughing and moved to wipe her mouth then they both stopped, suddenly aware of the elder Gilmore's attention. Emily picked up her coffee without a word.

Finally, it was time for Richard and Emily to leave. "Thank you for dinner, Luke," Richard said shaking his hand.

"Yes, thank you Luke," Emily echoed timidly, "It was very good."

"We'll see you next week?" Lorelai asked tentatively.

"Yes," Emily confirmed. "I expect to see all of you at the house for a special dinner next week," she looked at Luke, making her first effort with him, "including April. It's about time we got to meet her."

"We'll be there," Luke nodded. Lorelai took his hand and squeezed it.

"Oh, Mom, Dad one more thing: we are keeping the news of the baby quiet for now. At least until after the wedding. We hadn't planned on telling anyone before except Rory and April. So if you wouldn't mind keeping our secret? We don't want it getting out next week. We want to concentrate on the wedding."

Emily nodded, thankful they had the sense to do that and realized that if she hadn't been so observant, they might have gotten away with it at the mansion tonight as well. Richard led Emily out of the diner and to the car. As Luke and Lorelai watched, they got in and drove off.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed, "we wait to tell them until after the baby was born."

Luke let out a laugh and hugged Lorelai, hoping everything would be okay.

* * *

Rory watched her mother pace around the living room. Rory had come in from Stamford early at her mother's request. Luke had gone to get April from the airport and all four of them were expected at the grandparents for dinner. 

Lorelai looked out the window and caught Rory's gaze on her. "They should be here any minute. We'll have a chance to talk and April will probably need to change and we'll go to dinner." She paced again

Okay, Mom," Rory agreed then looked at her mother closely. "Mom, are you okay?"

Lorelai smiled at her daughter then went to the window again. She let out a sigh of relief. "They're here."

Rory was confused. Her mother had told her that she and April had been getting along fine. Rory knew her mother was excited about the wedding. She knew both Lorelai and Luke couldn't wait to make it official.

Luke opened the door and escorted April in. "We're here!" he called.

"Good!" Lorelai rushed over to him and gave him a quick kiss. "Hi April," she hugged her. She looked back at Luke. He set April's bags down in the foyer.

"Ah, sit down both of you," Luke gestured to the couch. "We have something we have to tell you."

Rory and April exchanged glances. They nodded hello to each other but their parents' strange behavior left them wondering what they were about to tell them. They sat down and looked at them expectantly.

"Well" Luke wrung his hands together, "we're getting married tomorrow."

"Uh, that's why we are here," April said.

"Yeah," Luke continued, "we'll be married and ah, well having kids."

"Most couples do," Rory said. She had no problem with having another brother or sister.

Luke paused and Lorelai picked up the conversation. "About the kids….how would you both feel if it happened sooner rather than later?"

"Okay," Rory nodded, she glanced at April. "Sooner is okay. Whenever…." She stopped and her jaw sagged as she caught on. She focused on her mother. "Mom? You're…. you're…?"

Lorelai could only nod. It took a moment for her to find her voice. "We just found out."

"Mom!" Rory was on her feet hugging her mother. "This is so great!"

"Dad! Wow! This is big news!" April was hugging Luke. Luke and Lorelai shared relieved looks. They wanted both daughters to be happy about their expanding family.

Rory moved to hug Luke then she stood back. "Hey, just a minute mister," she said sternly. "You got my mother in trouble."

"Ah," Luke was flummoxed. He didn't know what to say to Rory's abrupt about face.

"Yeah, Dad," April chimed in, catching on. "What kind of message are you trying to send here?"

"What are you intentions towards my mother?" Rory put her hands on her hips, just barely managing to keep a straight face. Teasing Luke was such fun.

"Uh, I'm going to marry her?" He looked over at Lorelai suddenly feeling very put-upon by the women in his life. "I feel like I am starring in an after-school special."

"I can see the titles now. Shotgun Wedding?" Lorelai suggested. "Diner Daddy?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Not you too."

They all burst out laughing and came together in a big group hug.

"When are you due Mom?" Lorelai asked.

"Some time in January." She could see Rory calculating. "Please don't do the math," she begged. "April would you like to change and then we can go to my parents' house for dinner?"

April grabbed a bag and headed to Rory's room. "I'll just be a minute."

Luke sat in a chair and Lorelai sat next to him on the arm of the chair. Rory sat on the couch studying them both, thinking.

"January." Rory pondered and looked pointedly at Luke. "Good thing I had Cesar feed me that day," she observed, somehow correctly guessing when it had happened. "You don't mess around."

"Aww Jeez," Luke reddened slightly in embarrassment. Lorelai chuckled.

* * *

Lorelai was lying in bed enjoying the morning sunshine as the phone started to ring. She reached over to answer it. 

"Hello?"

"Morning," Luke answered. Lorelai could hear the smile in his voice.

"Hey," she turned over looking at his side of the bed. "I missed you last night."

"Yeah, I missed you too. It was kind of lonely sleeping alone in my bed in the apartment." Luke agreed.

She could hear the sound of traffic. "Where are you?" she asked.

"Out making some deliveries."

"Deliveries?" She sat up in bed in surprise. "On your wedding day? You're _working_?"

"Hey, I needed to keep myself occupied, to take my mind off not seeing you until the wedding," he explained. "The diner is still closing at noon. Jeez, practically the whole town has been in for breakfast."

"I wanna come to the diner for breakfast too," she whined playfully.

"No," Luke flatly refused. "Bride and groom can't see each other before the wedding. No exceptions."

"I'm hungry. You're mean to your bride and the mother of your child," she pouted good-naturedly. She got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom.

"Just not tempting fate," Luke said. "Look I have to go, but I just wanted to hear your voice and tell you I love you and I'll see you at the church."

"Okay," she relented. "Hey, Luke." She was coming down the stairs.

"Lorelai?"

"I love you too."

She could tell he was smiling again. "I'll see you later."

Lorelai hung up the phone and placed it on the desk. As soon as she did, there was a knock at the door. She walked to the door and opened it. April stood at the door. She was wearing her backpack and had two big take-out bags from Luke's at her feet. She pulled the earphones out of her ears. Lorelai craned her neck and she managed to catch a glimpse of the tailgate of Luke's truck.

"Hi, Lorelai," April greeted her. "Dad had me listening to music so I wouldn't overhear," she explained then indicated the take-out bags. "Breakfast? Oh wait," she reached behind her and pulled something out from her backpack. It was a single red rosebud. She presented it to Lorelai. "Here. From Dad."

Lorelai beamed. "Your dad is the most amazing man."

"Yep," April picked up one of the bags and Lorelai got the other. "He figured you'd want breakfast and then we could start primping."

"Mom?" Rory called, coming out of her bedroom and stopping in the foyer. She looked at April and then the take-out bags. She breathed in deeply. "I smell coffee."

Lorelai chuckled and let April enter the house and shut the door behind her. She led them to the kitchen. "Ladies, let the games begin!"

* * *

Luke had spent his day doing minor chores, keeping himself occupied after he closed the diner. He had enlisted Jess to take both his and Lorelai's luggage to the Inn ahead of time, drop his tuxedo off at the church, then to pick up April and bring her back to the diner. 

He had hoped his gesture this morning had the desired effect. When April had come back from Lorelai's, she recounted everything they did from breakfast, to pampering themselves. April had looked lovely and he had no doubt Lorelai would be more beautiful than ever.

Luke finally finished collecting what he needed and he and April headed to the church. They stood outside together, admiring the rose-covered church. It and the reception hall had been the only common factor in both weddings and after seeing the church for the first time when they planned this wedding, he was glad they had managed to get it.

"Ready to do this, Dad?" April asked.

"More than you can imagine." He put his arm around April as they headed up the steps. "I need to get inside before Lorelai gets here." He hugged her briefly. "Make sure she makes it in time okay?" He grinned at her.

"No problem, Dad. I think she might even be early."

Luke left April and headed into the area set up for him to get ready. His tuxedo was hanging up waiting for him to put it on. He changed and checked his appearance and began fumbling with the bow tie and the wing collar. He hoped Lorelai would be pleased at the lengths he was going to for her. He felt foolish wearing a tuxedo. After several tries, he finally got the bow tied correctly.

There was a knock at the door. Luke had been expecting TJ and Jess. He went to the door to let them in. When he opened the door, he froze, stunned to see Christopher standing there.

"Hey Luke." Christopher said sheepishly. "Mind if I come in?"

Wordlessly, Luke let him in and shut the door. He hesitated for a moment then blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw the notice in the newspaper." Christopher began.

Luke raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "And?"

Christopher shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. I wanted to be here. I can't explain why. I actually wanted to see Lorelai to wish her the best, but I didn't want to upset her or make you mad. You got a mean right hook."

"When provoked," Luke agreed.

"Look, Luke," Christopher began hesitantly. "Would you mind…I'd like to see you guys get married."

"Why?" Luke couldn't imagine why Christopher would put himself through this.

"I still consider Lorelai my friend. I want see her on the happiest day of her life."

Luke looked at him like he had lost his mind. Christopher seemed sincere. Luke wanted to refuse and Christopher could tell.

"I'll just sneak in the back after the ceremony starts. I know you don't want me here but I swear I am not going to cause any trouble. I'm through with that."

Luke paused not wanting to give his permission but knowing there was nothing he could do about it at the last minute. "I can't stop you from sneaking in once the ceremony gets started."

"Okay," Christopher nodded. "I'm gonna make myself scarce for now. God forbid, Emily sees me before the ceremony."

"Funny," Luke agreed, "I was thinking the same thing about myself."

* * *

Lorelai stood in awe as she looked at herself in the mirror. She turned slowed this way and that admiring her dress. It was a beautiful embroidered organza dress with off the shoulder lace fan sleeves with a narrow waist and a full skirt. Thankfully it still fit. The beads and crystals on the dress winked at her as they caught the light. Her hair was softly curled and loosely pulled up at the sides and she was wearing an honest-to-god tiara. 

"Mom," Rory breathed. "You look gorgeous."

Lorelai turned to face Rory and April. "You think Luke will like it?" she asked.

"He'll love it. You look like a princess." April assured her.

There was a knock on the door. April answered it. Richard and Emily were standing outside.

"Mr. Gilmore, Mrs. Gilmore," April greeted. She glanced back and Lorelai, who nodded to let them in.

They walked in and April shut the door behind them. As they came forward Lorelai turned to face them, hoping they would approve of her appearance. Both stopped short.

"Oh my," Emily came forward her eyes taking in her appearance from head to toe. "Lorelai, you look lovely." Emily's eyes were tearing up and she gave her a shaky smile.

"Thanks, Mom," Lorelai said sincerely, knowing her mother meant it and there would be no snide comment. She looked to her father. "Dad?"

Richard stood transfixed at the vision that was his daughter. She was so beautiful. He walked forward and took her hand. "You're perfect, Lorelai. Luke is a lucky man."

She smiled back at him feeling her own eyes getting a little teary. "I think I'm just as lucky. Thank you Dad." For the first time, Lorelai felt the full measure of her parents love. Over the past years and even the past weeks, she had felt a subtle change in her relationship with both of them, but more so with her father.

"Daddy," she began hesitantly in a small voice, "Would you walk me down the aisle?" She rushed on hoping to convince him. "I know I planned to walk down alone but—"

"It will be my honor." Richard said simply.

"Ah, I don't want to interrupt but we're going to be starting in a few minutes. The pastor gave me specific instructions that I was to keep everything on schedule." Rory said. "April, let Luke know, my grandmother will need an escort down the aisle."

"Will do." April left.

"Well, I'll see you both in church," Emily smoothed the lapel on Richard's tuxedo and looked at her daughter again. She smiled genuinely at her then left as well.

April had made her way to the waiting room and saw her father with her cousin Jess and Uncle TJ. "Wow, Dad you look great!"

Luke looked nervously at his daughter. "Is she ready?"

"All we need is someone to walk Mrs. Gilmore down the aisle." Luke looked at her confused. "Lorelai asked her father to walk her down the aisle."

"I'm on it!" TJ piped up. "I'll get her down the aisle and in her seat pronto so we can get this show on the road!"

Luke stared at him horrified, his mind literally boggled at the idea of TJ and Emily Gilmore walking down the aisle together. Jess observed his uncle's reaction and took pity on him.

"No, I'll do it," Jess said. "Mrs. Gilmore already knows me and TJ, my mom will want you seated with her before the wedding starts."

"Okay, I'm off," TJ said.

"You owe me," Jess clapped his uncle on the back. "I'm the lesser of two evils."

"Yeah but you're still an evil." Luke pointed out. Emily had never taken to Jess either. Jess shrugged at him and left.

"Dad, its time." April told him.

Luke smiled at her and she led him out to wait in a side vestibule.

Emily was waiting in the back of the church for her escort. The bride's room door was opened and she could see Rory waiting for her to go down the aisle.

"Mrs. Gilmore," Jess said.

Emily turned and saw Jess. It was on the tip of her tongue to say something nasty but she held her tongue.

"_You_ are escorting me down the aisle?" she asked.

"Believe me, you don't want the second choice," Jess commented.

Emily wondered about that but still took his arm and he escorted her down the aisle. After she was seated, Luke and April came out to the altar. Everyone turned toward the back of the church.

Rory slowly walked down the aisle, her heart was bursting with joy. After all these years, it finally was happening, her mom and Luke were getting married. She reached the altar and moved off to the side as everyone stood and turned once again toward the back of the church.

When Richard and Lorelai came into view, practically the whole congregation oohed in appreciation of the Lorelai's appearance. Luke momentarily forgot to breathe; she had literally taken his breath away.

Lorelai saw Luke waiting for her, looking devastatingly handsome in his tuxedo, a big smile on his face. She smiled at him in return, each step bringing her closer to the altar.

"Who gives this woman to this man?"

"Her daughter, her mother and I do," Richard said, surprising everyone. He had not rehearsed what he was going to say, it just came out naturally. He kissed Lorelai on the cheek and put her hand in Luke's then went to sit with Emily.

Everyone was seated and the pastor began the service, expounding the values and benefits of marriage, stressing the marital unity and advising all of the challenges that were an inevitable part of marriage.

In the back of the church, Christopher quietly eased himself into a pew in the back, careful not make any noise. He wasn't the only latecomer. He just got settled when a redheaded woman also snuck into the same pew and sat next to him.

April stepped forward to give Luke the rings.

"Luke and Lorelai have written their own vows and would like to share them now." He gestured to Lorelai.

"Luke," Lorelai began, "You have always been there for me and I thought I knew you. But as we have grown closer, I realized I had just scratched the surface of who you really are. You are the kindest, most loving, generous, unselfish man I have ever known. You are in my thoughts. You are in my heart. And I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together." Lorelai's eyes were shining with tears. "I love you."

Luke swallowed, almost overcome by emotion but he pulled himself together. "Lorelai, I'm not one for speeches but from the first day we met, I knew you were special. Over the years as our friendship developed, I always hoped we would become something more than friends. The road that brought us together hasn't always been smooth, but no matter how tough things got, a part of me knew somehow we would end up together. I love you. I can't imagine my life without you in it, by my side."

There was some audible sniffling in the church and Emily was surprised that she and Richard were a part of it. Emily grasped Richard's arm as they watched Luke and Lorelai slide the rings on each other's fingers.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Luke stepped close, hardly believing they had actually, finally done it. He slipped an arm around Lorelai's waist and gently tilted her chin upward and slowly kissed her. He felt Lorelai's arms sliding up his back and she pressed herself against him. After a long moment, they separated and faced the crowd.

"I present to you Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes, man and wife."

The whole church erupted in applause. Hands clasped, Luke and Lorelai kissed again and started down the aisle as the music began playing.

"We did it!" Lorelai whispered. She linked her arm with his.

"Yeah, we did," Luke agreed.

"We're married!" She was smiling at all the people as the headed down the aisle.

"I was there," Luke reminded her.

Luke felt her tense beside him suddenly. "Christopher is here," her face was frozen in a smile, masking her sudden upset.

"I know. He came to me beforehand and mentioned he might sneak in. I thought it would be okay."

"It's okay for him to come to our wedding with Anna?"

"What?" Luke scanned the crowd and spotted them both in the same pew. He looked at Lorelai then shrugged. "We'll deal with them later."

They stood at the back of the church with April and Rory. Richard had been pleasant, shaking Luke's hand and Emily was downright cordial. They continued accepting congratulations from the townspeople. Luke was nervous about the way Miss Patty was eying him in his tuxedo and Babette couldn't stop kissing them both.

The stream of people finally thinned and Anna approached them. Christopher was a few paces behind.

"I had to see it with my own eyes," she said, as if that was explanation enough for crashing the wedding.

"I told you it would happen," Luke said, keeping his voice neutral. Something about her tone definitely bothered him.

"Lorelai, you look lovely," Anna remarked. Lorelai nodded her thanks, even though the way Anna said it didn't seem like a compliment.

"Mom…"April said in a warning tone. She was horrified at the way her mother was behaving. The last thing she wanted to see was her mother making her father's life miserable.

"Great ceremony!" Christopher broke in, He shook Luke's hand and even went so far as to kiss Lorelai on the cheek. "Lor, you look fantastic. All of you do! Thanks so much for letting me be here!" He caught Anna by the elbow and propelled her away, leaving a very confused wedding party in their wake.

"Do you think he really meant to do that?" Rory asked bewildered.

Lorelai turned to Luke who was slowly nodding. "Will wonders never cease. Last person I ever expected to be grateful to was Christopher." Luke noticed the church was empty. He slipped an arm around Lorelai. "Ladies…"

* * *

The reception was in full swing. Everyone had eaten their meal. Luke had surprised Lorelai by having a special dinner of lobster just for them. They drank sparkling grape juice poured from a towel-wrapped bottle and no one was the wiser. The music was playing and people weren't sure whether to focus their attention on Kirk's strange dance floor gyrations or Michel's. 

From the corner table, Christopher sat watching the festivities then glanced at his dinner partner.

Anna hadn't said much to him as he led her away earlier, but he kept a hand on her in an effort to keep her from ruining Lorelai's day. Rory had caught up to them after they left the church, letting him know that both Luke and Lorelai extended the invitation for him to stay, and Anna as well, but Rory's glare at Anna indicated that she had better behave herself. So Christopher had stuck with her and Anna silently fumed.

He had been aware of the number of stares he had gotten from townspeople and could imagine the gossip that was going around. He and Lorelai had been divorced only a short time and here he was at her wedding. Finally the table cleared, their other tablemates getting up to dance.

"So who are you anyway?" Anna demanded.

"Christopher Hayden," he replied. "Rory's father."

"Ah, the ex-husband and deadbeat Dad."

Christopher's jaw tensed. "Did Luke tell you that?"

Anna looked at him then shook her head. "No. You know who I am though."

"April's mother. Wicked Witch of the Southwest," he snapped back.

It was Anna's turn to be angry. "Lorelai tell you that?"

"No." He held up his hands. "Look I didn't mean to say that, sorry."

She gave him an appraising look. "I'm sorry too. This whole wedding has got me on edge."

"Why?" Christopher asked curiously.

"It's really none of your business," Anna replied.

"Hey, Lorelai is Rory's mother and is my ex-wife, but she is my friend too. Whatever you do will affect her and to some extent Rory. I think I have a right to be concerned here."

Anna stared at the head table as Lorelai leaned over and kissed Luke. "They are a couple."

"Yeah, they are. I don't get it."

Anna turned to him. "Luke sued for partial custody of my daughter. He won based on the letter Lorelai wrote for him."

"I know that."

"You have no idea what that letter said."

Christopher let out a deep breath remembering those awful days. "Uh, yeah I do."

"My attorney assured me we would win. Then we lost. Luke has partial custody and I was okay with that. But not with Lorelai in the picture."

"Why?"

"They are married now," Anna said desperately. "They are a couple and I am a single mother. What if they decide to sue for full custody? Legally he is in a better position than I am. I wasn't expecting Luke to win the last battle and he did. What if he decides to take my daughter away from me?"

Christopher's mouth dropped open in surprise. "I don't think he would do that."

"And you are an authority on Luke? Please. God, when I had April I didn't let Luke know because I thought I knew how he'd react to kids and here he is being Super Dad." She stared out at the dance floor and saw April approaching.

"Mom," April said stiffly. "What do you think you are doing trying to wreck Dad's wedding day?"

"I'm sorry April. I know I shouldn't have come but I was…." She trailed off.

"What, Mom?"

"You should probably tell her." Christopher interjected.

April looked at Christopher, surprised that he knew what was going on. Her mother usually didn't open up to strange people.

"Honey, I've been worried that Luke and Lorelai will want you with them. Permanently." Anna explained.

"Oh!" The realization dawned on her. April had the advantage of knowing that Luke and Lorelai would have their hands full with a new baby, but she couldn't betray their secret. "Don't worry Mom. I am pretty sure Dad wants to keep things the way they are. Lorelai, too."

"Lorelai too what?" Luke interrupted. He and Lorelai had seen April come over to the table and decided it was time they did too.

"Dad," April jumped to the point. "We've made some progress here. Mom is afraid you and Lorelai are going to try to get full custody of me. I told them that you were both okay with the way things are, all things considering."

"April!" Anna was shocked that April would blurt the reason out and didn't think this was the appropriate time to bring this up.

Luke gazed at April then over to Anna. He knew by Anna and Christopher's behavior that April hadn't revealed their big secret. He and Lorelai shared a relieved glance. He was surprised that Anna would think him that heartless as to take April away from her mother.

"Anna, Lorelai and I never discussed it. April is happy with you and she's in a good environment. All I ever wanted was a chance to see her and be in her life. I could never take her away from you."

Anna stared at Luke trying to figure out if he meant it. Lorelai moved around the table and sat next to Anna. "This was why you didn't want me to see her? Oh, Anna, you're her mother. She loves you. All I ever wanted was to be a friend to April because we both love Luke." Lorelai finally felt like she understood Anna.

Luke leaned over the table. "No full custody. I am happy with the arrangement, sharing her with you. Just let us see her and spend time with her, that's all we ask."

Anna nodded, for a moment too relieved to speak. "I'm sorry I crashed your wedding." She said faintly.

Lorelai looked at Luke and laughed. "Believe me before the night is through I am sure somebody will do something to top this." Luke reached out a hand to her and as they moved away, she nodded, "Have fun and thank you for coming."

"Okay," Sookie called out. "Everybody gather round. It's time to cut the cake!"

"Oh, goodie!" Lorelai grabbed Luke's arm, practically jumping up and down in excitement. "I can't wait to taste Stan!"

"Stan?" Luke looked at her strangely.

"Sookie named the cake Stan," Lorelai explained.

"Why in the heck would….Never mind, I don't want to know." Luke gave up.

There was a lot of laughter and good-natured advice coming from all sides as they cut the cake. Luke knew they had to feed each other a bite. Seeing the look in Lorelai's eyes, he was afraid he was about to get a face-full of cake. Carefully they held the cake up to each other and the volume of encouragement increased. At the last moment, they both leaned in and took a bite of cake. The crowd yelled in disappointment then Lorelai smeared the frosting on her finger down Luke's cheek. As the crowd cheered she leaned over and licked it off and the cheers became catcalls. They both laughed and shared a kiss.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Luke and Lorelai will now be having their first dance as a married couple. Luke has chosen two special songs for the occasion."

"Really?" Lorelai turned and asked him. "Let me guess. Row, row, row your Boat? The Barney Song?"

Luke just gave her a look and escorted her out on the floor. The song _Blue Eyes_ started up and she smiled lovingly at him and melted into his arms. The lights were low and everyone was watching them.

Emily and Richard were sitting nearby as Luke pulled Lorelai closer. Lorelai slipped her arms around his shoulders; her head was tucked under his chin and they were both swaying to the music, eyes closed.

"Emily," Miss Patty stopped by the table. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," Emily replied, vaguely remembering her. Emily's eyes were fixed on Luke and Lorelai.

"I am so happy they're finally together." Miss Patty commented. Emily looked at her. "Most of us have been hoping for this for years. They're perfect for each other." Patty put a hand over her heart and her eyes got a little misty. She sighed, "Ah, to be that much in love. I'm glad they found each other." Miss Patty nodded at Emily and moved off. Emily turned back to the dance floor.

The second song _Look What You've Done to Me_ began playing.

Richard took Emily's hand. He, too, was watching his daughter and her new husband on the dance floor.

"They look well together." Richard observed.

"Yes, they do," Emily admitted.

"I have an idea," Richard said. "Let's join them." Emily looked at him. "As a show of support."

Emily nodded. Richard led her out onto the dance floor and drew her close and began slow dancing.

No sooner than they started dancing, Sookie and Jackson, Lane and Zach, Babette and Morey and even Kirk and Lulu joined them on the floor.

Luke opened his eyes and saw the couples on the dance floor. "Lorelai," he whispered. "Look."

Lorelai opened her eyes and her gaze fell on her parents. She smiled and hugged Luke closer.

When the song ended, Rory took the mike. Sookie was standing next to her. "Hello everyone." She had everyone's immediate attention. Lorelai leaned back against Luke on the dance floor. "Mom, Luke, we have a little surprise for you. Mom, you booked a great room at the Inn, but I know it's not the one you wanted. We have to let you know, that we were the ones who booked the honeymoon suite at the Inn. It was Sookie's idea and from there everything else fell into place."

"Aww, hon, you guys didn't have to do that. That's so sweet," Lorelai said from the dance floor.

"We wanted to," Sookie took the mike. "We're just so happy. So we are going to send you off to the Inn now."

"Now?" Lorelai said in surprise.

"Yes, it's like a fairy tale!" Sookie insisted. "You both have to come outside now!"

She led them outside and at the entryway was a horse-drawn carriage. Everyone followed them out.

Lorelai looked at Luke, gauging his response to the sight before him.

"Mockable?" she asked.

"You have no idea." Luke nodded staring at the carriage.

"I kind of like it," she admitted.

"Of course."

"What are you thinking?" Lorelai asked.

"I am a complete fool," he stated, knowing he was going to cave and ride in the carriage. "Let's go back to the Inn." He picked her up and everyone cheered. As Luke set her in the open carriage, both Rory and April came up to him.

"Here's the key." Rory said giving him the key.

"And here's some cake." April handed him some bagged cake. Luke got in the carriage.

"Have fun!" They both called.

* * *

Lorelai snuggled closer to Luke. The skirt of her dress pretty much took up all the extra space in the carriage. As the horse plodded on into the night, they enjoyed just being alone together in a companionable silence. The pressure of the wedding was gone now. 

"This was a perfect day," Lorelai sighed.

"Pretty much." Luke leaned over and kissed her. "I'm glad it's over though."

"Why?"

"This tux is driving me crazy. Why do men dress up this way and look like idiots? I mean this collar and the bow-tie? What god-awful fool came up with this bright idea?"

"Oooh, a honeymoon rant, I like it," she laughed. "But I gotta admit," she said looking him over, "you look pretty good. And you dressed up just for me."

As she expected, that shut him up. He leaned down and kissed her. "You look pretty gorgeous yourself," He shifted some of the material of her skirt that threatened to engulf his lap.

"I did it just for you," she said softly as she kissed him.

The carriage pulled up to the Inn. Luke got out and lifted Lorelai down. She took his hand and led him to the separate building that was the honeymoon suite. Luke opened the door and turned on the lights but Lorelai hung back. Luke turned around with a questioning look then the realization dawned.

"You don't expect me…."

"Uh-huh."

"This is another one of those wedding traditions," he shook his head, but he was smiling.

"Yeah and I think we should do it."

Luke picked her up without another word and carried her over the threshold. "There," he said, pretending to roll his eyes, "are you happy?"

"Yes." He set her down then shut and locked the door.

"Wow, what a room," his eyes traveled around the very nicely furnished suite, noting their luggage had been unpacked then lingering on the huge bed. "I think we might lose each other in that bed though. You might have to send up a flare for me to find you."

"Hey," Lorelai gently rebuked him in a mock-serious tone. "Do not mock the bed. The bed is supposed to be the center of attention here. It gets very upset when you don't pay it the respect and attention it deserves."

"Okay then, if you say so." Luke had already untied his tie and had undone a few buttons of his shirt. "I am perfectly willing to give the bed my full undivided attention." He stepped up behind her and began nibbling on her neck, his fingers undoing her buttons. Lorelai's eyes were half-closed in bliss, as she leaned back against him.

* * *

Lorelai slowly opened her eyes and sighed. Her gaze traveled around the room noting her wedding dress and Luke's tuxedo scattered over furniture and across the floor. She smiled as her eyes shifted down and looked at Luke's hand resting on the mattress next to her. He was spooned up behind her, his arm draped around her, his cheek against her hair. She remembered their conversation last night about the bed and her smile got broader. No, the bed hadn't been lacking in attention. 

Her stare focused on the wedding ring on his left hand. She gently stroked the ring with her own fingers. It was warm from the heat of his body. Suddenly his fingers twined with hers.

"What are you doing?" his voice was soft and curious. She felt him softly kiss the nape of her neck, moving down her shoulder. She grinned as she shifted onto her back and looked into his eyes, his expression still sleepy, the glimmer of his eyes make her stomach do flip-flops. Their fingers were still intertwined.

"Nothing," she shrugged. "It'll take a little getting used to seeing you wear a wedding ring," she admitted. "You aren't a jewelry kind of guy."

"You don't want me to wear my wedding ring?" his brow wrinkled in confusion.

"No, actually I do," she smirked. "I want you to wear the ring and the big sandwich board that says 'Keep your mitts off my husband' around the diner."

He laughed, never realizing she could be jealous over him. "I'll just stick with the ring. It's a pretty clear sign to any woman that I belong to you."

"I like the sound of that," she returned softly.

Now he was touching her engagement and wedding rings. "Same goes for you. Maybe I'll make a sandwich board for you."

"Nope," she shook her head, "I'm pretty sure the billboard outside of town already says it all."

"Good," he suppressed a laugh. He leaned down and gave her a long good morning kiss.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, kissing her jaw-line.

"No." She wasn't hungry for food. "If I was I could eat what's left of Stan."

Luke pulled back from her. "You are not having cake for breakfast. It's either room-service or we go to the dining room."

"The dining room," she decided. "They are probably all waiting there for us to put in an appearance."

"Later," he said kissing her ear. "The bed is telling me that we aren't giving it its proper attention."

"Again?" Lorelai asked in surprise as her arms slipped up Luke's naked back. "Man, did I ever pick out the best bed for this room. This is one needy bed," she said before Luke kissed her.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai finally emerged and went into the Inn for breakfast. As they walked into the dining room, arms around each other, they saw that there was quite a crowd still there. Lorelai was surprised to see Richard and Emily sitting at a table. And even more surprised to see Anna sitting at a table with April. 

"Morning, Mom, Morning, Luke," Rory came up and kissed them both on the cheek. "We were wondering when you two would show up."

"Uh, honeymoon?" Lorelai reminded her daughter.

"We won't go there." Rory said. "We figured you had to come out sometime. Grandma and Grandpa want you to sit with them. We've been waiting breakfast on you."

"Let us say hi to April first. They'll be heading out soon. She has to get ready for her science camp." Luke said. "We'll be right over."

"Hey, April," Luke greeted her as they stopped by the table.

April got up and hugged them both. "Good morning. I was afraid we were going to have to leave without seeing you."

"Sorry, we slept in," Luke said as Lorelai gave his hand a squeeze. "You excited about going to camp?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to miss our boat trip." April said, still torn about her decision.

"Don't be." Luke assured her. "Lorelai and I are taking the boat out. Not on the same trip," he looked down at Lorelai and slipped an arm around her, "but one where we'll have a good time. We'll go out on the boat at the end of the summer for a couple of weeks and then you can spend the rest of your summer with your Mom."

Anna smiled and nodded at them both then said a little sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind, I got your room here in the Inn last night. Lorelai, this place is wonderful. You should be very proud."

"Thank you, I am." Lorelai replied. "Next time you are back in town and you need a place to stay, keep me in mind. If we have a room available, it's yours."

"Thank you." Anna said then glanced at her watch. "We've already said our good-byes to Rory. April, we have to get going if we are going to catch the plane."

"Okay Mom," she hugged Luke then Lorelai. "Keep me posted," she whispered and the pair left.

Luke escorted Lorelai over to where her parents and Rory were sitting.

"Well," Emily said. "I'm glad we waited around. Rory tells me the two of you are going out on Luke's boat for a few weeks."

"Yeah, we are cruising up the coast and eventually we will be staying at a cabin up in Maine."

"Hmmm," Emily pondered. "Wouldn't you rather go someplace exotic? We could send you on a wonderful honeymoon, wherever you'd like to go."

"Say the word," Richard chimed in. "Hawaii, Acapulco, Jamaica, wherever you want."

"Thanks, Mom, Dad," Lorelai said, "but we just want to head out on the boat."

"But you'll be out there all alone." Emily pointed out.

Lorelai caught Luke's eye. "Yeah, Mom. That's the idea."

* * *

A/N 

I can't get the links for the dress and the lyrics. If you're really curious, email me--Jmaka


	6. Every Ending is a New Beginning

Ok, thanks to everybody who's stuck by me so far. I truly appreciate your reviews.

This is the last chapter in this story. This story ends the way I originally (not now) hoped the series would end. For those of you who are bummed, take heart. They will always live in reruns, DVDs and of course, fanfic.

In true Gilmorian fashion a little time has lapsed. They always did that in the show too so I am not straying to far from canon.

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never did, loved to watch them play with each other (heh) and now will be history.

Every Ending is a New Beginning

Luke was asleep and then he was not. He couldn't figure out what woke him up. He was disoriented for a moment, then his eyes gradually took in the shapes in the darkened apartment and he remembered where he was. He was aware of Lorelai's arm draped around his waist and he reached down and covered her hand with his own.

Suddenly he felt something nudge his back. Then again. The third time it even harder.

"Lorelai," he asked in a quiet voice, knowing she was awake, "Why do you always lean up against me when the baby is kicking so I'll wake up in the middle of the night?"

"Because," Lorelai replied sounding both tired and amused at once, "I figure if we're both awake, you should be too."

Luke decided not to debate her logic. He turned over to face her. "Can't you calm him down?"

"What do you want me to do? Swallow a toy to keep him occupied?"

"No," he moved closer and gently rubbed her large belly. He felt the baby kicking the palm of his hand.

"Hmmm," Lorelai moved her head closer to his on the pillow. "This is what I was after. Daddy has the magic touch. Must be because he's a boy."

"I doubt that," he disagreed. They had both been surprised by this baby. After Rory, then April, they both had just automatically assumed this child would also be a girl but they were wrong. Not only were they going to be new parents, they were going to have a son. They were both headed into uncharted territory here and they knew it.

"Mmmm, that feels nice," Lorelai whispered. "You always manage to calm him down."

"Let's hope he calms down soon. I have to open the diner in a few hours," he said glancing at the clock. God it was early.

"Hey, all you have to do is walk downstairs," Lorelai objected. "I have the extra distance to go to the Inn."

"And I've been taking you to the Inn every day," he returned. "That's what you get for deciding on an addition to the house this late in the year. I'm just glad we were able to stay here and keep you away from the paint fumes and the dust."

"Hmmm," she agreed noncommittally. "I'm glad we're moving back next week. At least we will be settled in plenty of time before Christmas."

"We should have plenty of time to set up the nursery too. Now that the room is finished we can get the furniture and finish that off too." Luke yawned. "We'll be ready. All we'll need is the baby."

"Six weeks to go, then Bono comes out." She sighed.

"No Bono," Luke declared half-asleep. The name debate had been going on since they found out the sex of the baby.

"Fine, Bono is off the list," Lorelai agreed sleepily realizing the kicking had stopped. "He settled down. You did it again."

"Hmmm," Luke said, as he stopped rubbing her belly. He unconsciously drew her closer and with the two of them entwined in each other's arms, the three of them fell back asleep.

* * *

Lorelai sat at the counter in the diner. She just demolished a sandwich and a bowl of fruit per Luke's request. Luke stood in front of her going through receipts. Her mood was infectious. She could barely contain herself. 

"This is so exciting!" She was practically bouncing up and down on the stool.

"It's just a town meeting," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's my first one since Taylor banished me!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I still can't believe Taylor banished me."

"Well, you did have a bout of morning sickness all over his shoes," Luke commented. At the time her morning sickness was happening all throughout the day. He remembered the event vividly and smirked. "By the way, did I ever thank you for that?"

"You can always thank me again." Lorelai shook her head. "I've never seen Taylor so angry."

"Nobody was happy with either of us that day," Luke reminded her. "We kept the baby a secret until your fourth month. I can't believe we had them in the dark for so long, especially Babette and Miss Patty. And then boom it was out."

"It was more like a splat."

"Don't gross out my customers," Luke warned her.

She looked around. "What customers? Everybody's gone to the meeting. We're gonna be late!"

"Jeez, I thought I would get out of going now that Taylor has accepted you back," Luke said looking put-upon. Lorelai had badgered him into going in her place to keep her up on town happenings. Luke had resignedly gone, knowing she would pester him incessantly until he did.

"Oh you've had it so tough," Lorelai said in mock sympathy. "So much to deal with. Like cravings…"

"Which were disgusting even for you," he shuddered.

"Mood swings..."

"Helped me develop a keen sense of self preservation."

"Raging hormones where I couldn't keep my hands off you."

"Actually I didn't mind that so much," Luke piped up. His head was still bent over the receipts but he shot her a look.

Lorelai laughed enjoying flirting with him. She could feel herself blushing. She loved the fact that they were married, soon to be parents but he could still make her blush. And she could still make him blush too. Just then Taylor walked into the diner.

"Well, I'm surprised to see you sitting here Lorelai. I would have thought you would be the first one in the door for the meeting. I don't usually go back on banishment. You're lucky I've got a soft heart."

Thank you Taylor," Lorelai's voice was sincere.

Taylor handed Luke an envelope. "Here's the bill for the shoes."

"Thank you Taylor," Luke's voice was irritated. He sent another put-upon look at Lorelai. She merely grinned and shrugged.

Taylor left and Lorelai pushed her plate away. "Come on! We're going to be late and I don't want to miss a thing!"

Luke put away the receipts and cleared her plate quickly. "Alright already." He followed her to the door and flipped the sign over to Closed and locked the door behind them.

As they were walking up to Miss Patty's, Sookie came scurrying up to them.

"We're late! C'mon! I saved you seats near the front but we have to hurry."

"Ah Sookie, may be we should stick to the back," Lorelai hung back. "Taylor might not be too comfortable with me sitting so close."

"Who cares about Taylor," Sookie waved her hand dismissively. She led them to the sliding door to the studio. Neither of them noticed that she hung back a little.

Luke slid the door open and they walked in.

"Surprise!" Everybody screamed.

"Oh my god!" Lorelai exclaimed in shock. The studio was decorated with baby balloons, signs and streamers. "You guys are throwing us a baby shower?"

The crowd parted and Rory and April both came forward.

"Oh my god!" Lorelai was completely stunned as was Luke.

"You both were invited?"

Rory and April exchanged glances. "Actually we planned it with Sookie, Babette and Miss Patty's help," Rory said.

"April, I can't believe you're here. Your mom just let you come here without my knowing?"

"No, she came with me. We stayed with my uncle in Woodbridge. Mom knew how much I wanted to be here." April hugged her father.

"You guys are sneaky, keeping this from us," Lorelai said accusingly. Both Rory and April grinned, totally unrepentant and backed away and let the other guests greet them.

"Sugah, just consider it payback for keeping this little one a secret," Babette told them, pointing at Lorelai's stomach. "We still haven't forgiven you two for that one. I mean, you wrecked the pool!"

"Pool?" Luke was afraid to ask.

"Oh, yeah dear," Patty confirmed looking Luke up and down. "Most of us were betting on the wedding night. Some of us were sure it would be on that boat of yours," Patty's tone of voice had Luke feeling more than a little embarrassed. "But you beat us all to the punch, you sly dog."

Luke was at a loss, wanting desperately to get away from what was becoming an increasingly personal invasion of his private life. He looked away into the crowd of people and his mouth dropped open as his eyes fell on an unlikely out.

"Emily!" Luke moved further into the room away from Babette and Miss Patty.

"Luke," Emily nodded. She had stood back and watched Luke suffer through a minor grilling by the townspeople. She was amused that Luke turned to her as his savior. "Too bad I didn't get in on the pool. I could have cleaned up." Emily continued, picking up where they left off.

"Hi Mom," Lorelai greeted her mother and rescued Luke. "Thank you for coming."

"Your father is around here somewhere, trying to avoid someone named Taylor," Emily replied. She eyed Luke. "You'd probably feel more at ease around him then some of the other townspeople at the moment," Emily relented.

"No, you have to open presents," Rory appeared. "C'mon"

Rory led them to the front of the studio where the presents were piled up. "Oooh, I get presents!" Lorelai clapped her hands together.

"They're for the baby," Luke reminded her.

"But I get to open them!"

Luke rolled his eyes but helped her sit down. Everyone settled down to watch them open present after present. Lorelai was like a kid oohing and aahing over each gift and sincerely thanking each person.

Lorelai read the card off the next gift. "Michel," she spied him in the throng, "you shouldn't have."

"I saw this and it seemed appropriate and since Sookie told me attendance was mandatory…." Michel droned on in a sing-song voice.

Lorelai opened the box and the tissue paper and immediately leaned back laughing hysterically.

"What is it?" Luke craned his neck.

She pulled out a little blue baseball cap and everyone started laughing. She handed it to Luke. "This is perfect!" she cried, laughing harder. She pulled out a big stack of cotton flannel diapers, all different plaid patterns. The whole place roared. Lorelai pulled out a diaper and held it up to Luke's shirt. It wasn't an exact match but it was close. Luke glowered at Michel.

"Yep, Junior is going to take after Daddy," Lorelai chuckled.

"We are _not_ naming him after me," Luke told her.

"What are you going to name him?" Miss Patty asked.

"We haven't decided yet," Lorelai told them. "Luke keeps shooting all my suggestions down."

"We aren't naming him after Antonio Banderas either," Luke declared. Everyone laughed.

"Lorelai," Luke whispered to her, "I need to leave for a minute. I'll be right back."

"But the presents…we're almost finished. Can't you wait?"

"No. I'll be right back, I promise." Luke got up and walked over to Jackson. Lorelai watched him gesture to him and they both left. Lorelai looked at Sookie, who shrugged and shook her head. She didn't know either.

Lorelai had just finished thanking the last person for their gift when Luke and Jackson returned carrying something covered by a blue sheet decorated with a blue bow. They set it down in front of her.

"One last gift," Luke announced as he sat down next to Lorelai again. She looked at him skeptically. "Open it," he said.

Lorelai pulled the sheet off quickly and it fell from her grasp as she saw what was beneath it.

"Luke…." Her voice trailed off and she met his gaze. When she had almost married Max, he had taken the time and effort to carve a wooden chuppah which now graced their front lawn. At her feet was the most beautiful cradle she had ever seen. It was made from a sturdy oak wood and he had carved animals at the head and the foot and along the sides.

"I know we have a crib for his room but I thought we could keep this downstairs," Luke explained softly, gauging her reaction. They could hear everyone murmuring in awe of the gift.

Lorelai blinked back the happy tears in her eyes. "It's perfect." She leaned over and gave him a gentle kiss then laid her head on his shoulder. "You never cease to amaze me. Thank you for this," she gestured to the cradle, "and for this." She laid her hand on her stomach.

"You're welcome," he said in the same soft voice, covering her hand with his own.

* * *

"I still don't get why they celebrate Christmas two weeks early," Luke complained, as they approached the Gilmore's front door. 

"It's my parents, they march to the beat of their own drummer, the rest of the world be damned," Lorelai quipped.

Luke refrained from commenting further. He had to admit visits to the mansion were getting a little easier to handle. Richard was content as long as Lorelai was happy. Emily seemed to be more tolerant of their marriage as time had gone on. They could still be counted on for some very lively discussions if they had conflicting views but they all managed to get along.

"Look at it this way," Lorelai said. "This is the last time we'll have to come here for a while. They are leaving for Europe in the morning and by the time they get back, I shouldn't be traveling long distances because of George Clooney here." She smoothed her dress over her stomach.

"We'll probably have to have Friday night dinners for a while," Luke commented. "And we are _not_ naming him George Clooney."

Lorelai turned around and looked behind Luke.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm checking for pods," Lorelai shot back at him. "Okay, George is off the list, along with K-Fed, Devo and Carrot Top. Do you really want to start having them over to dinner?"

He shrugged. "It's inevitable. We may as well make the best of it." He rang the bell. "Not every Friday though."

Emily, herself answered the door. "Finally! We were beginning to think you got lost," Emily exclaimed.

"Mom, we've been here before," Lorelai reminded her.

"That was your excuse last time you were late," Emily reminded her right back. "Come in."

As they entered, the maid rushed up to take their coats. "Marisa you should have waited a few more minutes and I would have dealt with their coats leaving you free to entertain my guests."

Neither Luke nor Lorelai said a word. Emily was not Emily if she wasn't terrorizing a maid.

"Well, come in. Rory is already here." Emily led them into the gathering.

Rory came up to them. "You two look nice."

"Aww, sweetie, it's so nice of you to compliment your mother when she looks like the Goodyear blimp," Lorelai said sweetly.

Rory laughed, "You look beautiful, Mom."

"So do you, hon," Lorelai complimented her. "How's work?'

"Great!" Rory said enthusiastically. "I'm getting a special assignment so I'll be even busier than I already am."

"I'm impressed," Luke congratulated her. "What's the assignment?"

"Well," Rory said suddenly sounding vague, "I don't have all the details yet. It's on the homeless. I'll know more soon."

Emily approached them with another woman. "Lorelai, you remember Tweenie Halpern."

"Ah, yes, I think I do," Lorelai said, not remembering the woman at all. "This is my husband Luke and you remember Rory."

Rory nodded to her thinking the conversation would turn to the DAR but Tweenie surprised her by keeping her attention on Lorelai.

"So when are you due, Lorelai?" Tweenie asked.

"Around the end of January," Lorelai replied.

"Boy or girl?" Tweenie persisted.

"Boy," Lorelai said shortly. "Boy, you really have that Spanish Inquisition thing down pat."

"Have you got a name picked out?" Tweenie asked ignoring her comment.

"Right now Napoleon Dynamite is our first choice," Lorelai said in a serious tone. Next to her, Rory put a hand up to her face to hide a smile. Luke's mouth dropped open. Lorelai looked at him with a serious expression. "No? How about Pedro?"

"Ah yes, ah very interesting names," Tweenie said carefully backing away from them. She turned and walked off.

"Lorelai!" Emily hissed at her. "Why do you come here if you plan to embarrass us?" Emily strode away in a huff.

"Because you have the best apple tarts in town," Lorelai said once Emily was out of earshot. Rory nodded in agreement. Luke just shook his head.

* * *

It was a decidedly quiet Christmas with just the three of them celebrating. Rory had come in the night before, and Christmas morning Luke made them a special breakfast. Lorelai insisted they go out for a short walk in the newly-fallen Christmas snow, which led to an impromptu snowball fight where Luke was at a disadvantage. He wouldn't throw snowballs at Lorelai but that didn't stop Lorelai and Rory from ganging up on him. 

Luke made them a huge late afternoon meal and by the time they finished and got settled, it was early evening when they opened the last of their presents.

"You're getting pretty good at this present thing," Lorelai said admiring her bracelet, one of the gifts Luke had given her.

"I should have a clue by now," Luke responded sitting next to her on the couch.

"And you couldn't go wrong with Rory's help since I was coaching her," Lorelai said impishly.

"I did pick out a few things myself without her help," Luke pointed out then shook his head.

Rory came out of her bedroom carrying a section of a newspaper with a ribbon tied around it.

"Ah, newsprint for Christmas. You really went all out," Lorelai commented.

"I got one for Grandma and Grandpa to read when they come back too. It's my first investigative article. Here." She handed the paper to her mother. Lorelai untied the ribbon. The section had a story with Rory's name on the byline.

"Oh, your first article of the series on the homeless. We should have this framed!" Lorelai began scanning the copy as Luke leaned over to read it as well.

"We are so proud of you," Luke congratulated her.

Rory waited until they both had finished the article.

"What do you think?" she asked nervously.

"Wow!" Lorelai exclaimed. "This is really good. And this is just the first article?"

"Yes, there will be a total of five. One a week."

"You've done a lot of research," Luke observed.

"Yeah, it's been pretty grueling," Rory agreed.

"Do you have a staff that's been helping you?"

"Well no," Rory admitted. "I've done it all myself. It took a while for me to figure out how to infiltrate the ranks."

Luke and Lorelai exchanged confused glances not understanding. "Wait," Lorelai said, a bad feeling suddenly overcoming her. "How are you getting your information?"

Rory's eyes shifted away from her mother uncomfortably. "I've been going out, undercover as a homeless person."

"Rory!" Lorelai's mouth dropped open in shock. "What are you thinking? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

Luke surged to his feet. "You are _not_ going back out there," he declared.

"It's my assignment. I pitched it to the editor and he agreed. We came up with a suitable cover and disguise," Rory said defensively. "I have my back-ups and protection hidden nearby. It's okay."

"It's not okay." Lorelai decided then a thought occurred to her. "You knew about this at Grandparent's party didn't you? I thought you were a little fuzzy about the details."

"Mom, I'll be okay," Rory said, trying to convince her.

Lorelai came to her feet and stared down at her daughter. "No."

"Mom, I am an adult. I can make my own decisions," Rory said stubbornly, starting to sound a little annoyed. "I've done dangerous things before at Yale with the Life and Death Brigade."

Lorelai stared at her daughter in disbelief. "I didn't raise you to take foolish risks with your safety and maybe even your life."

"You taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to and I think I can bring their plight to public awareness."

"Your editor actually agreed to this crazy stunt?"

"He thought the hook of a fresh face college grad getting the scoop on one of the country's biggest problems was inspired."

"Of course," Lorelai said sarcastically. "Anything to sell newspapers."

Luke all but growled in agreement.

"Rory, this is so reckless and so not like you." Another thought struck Lorelai. "Are you taking this risk because you feel you settled on this job after losing the Reston?" Lorelai had to ask.

Rory's eyes flashed in anger, her mother's word striking a nerve. "I did not settle for this job Mom! I am doing my job! This is no different than if I had to report on a military action in the trenches. Sometimes we have to confront the difficult realities in this world. Think about that, Mom. If I am going to be a serious journalist, I have to do whatever I need to do to get the best story. And you, and Luke, and Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa will just have to deal with it!"

Rory turned and stamped off to her room leaving Luke and Lorelai standing in stunned silence. After a few minutes, she emerged from her room, suitcase in hand.

"I know I was going to stay a few days but I'm heading back," Rory announced.

"Rory," Lorelai began, "we need to talk about this further."

Rory walked over and gave them both a quick hug. "The subject is closed. I'll call you in a couple of days. Sorry I won't be able to stay for the movies." She turned and walked out the door. A few minutes later they heard her car drive away.

Lorelai and Luke looked at each other in shock. "I can't believe this," Lorelai said finally.

"She is not going out to do any more research. We can't let her," Luke stated.

"What can we do? She's an adult, Luke," Lorelai pointed out.

"We have to do something!" Luke shouted.

"Luke, I am _extremely_ upset about this as well," Lorelai told him. Her mind was whirling. "But what can we do? She's an adult. It's not like she is a little kid and we tell her that she can't go out and play."

"I can't believe you are saying this."

"Luke, if you have an idea, _any idea_, to get her out of this situation, keep her job and not destroy her career, I am all for it. But for now we just have to have faith in Rory and try not to worry." Yeah, like that's going to happen she thought savagely. "She's my daughter, let me handle it."

"_Your_ daughter." Luke was looking at her curiously brought up short by her words. "I see. And what about the baby?" he asked. "What if he wants to do something equally dangerous when he's old enough?"

"I'm hoping he'll either take after his father and flip burgers for a living or do something else equally tame."

"Tame?" Luke echoed. Her comment didn't sit well with him. She had, in one fell swoop, denigrated his livelihood and his manhood. He was clearly affronted.

"I didn't mean it like that," Lorelai backpedaled, realizing she had insulted him.

"Sorry if my choice of career falls below your screwed up standards or the fact that you clearly don't want my input on this matter," Luke said tersely.

"I _do_ want your input," Lorelai said getting angry herself, her hormones kicking in. "I'll deal with Rory, I'm her mother."

"Then be a good mother and forbid her to do this!" Luke shouted. "Don't just let her run off and do this harebrained stunt!"

"You think I'm a bad mother because I'm allowing my child to follow her dream?"

"I think….I think… it doesn't matter to you what I think. You are just going to do what you want."

It was Luke's turn to walk out of the house. He turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him. Lorelai turned and stomped up the stairs. This has been a memorable Christmas she thought.

* * *

It was late when Luke finally came back home. He slowly walked through the darkened house and made his way upstairs. He quietly eased the bedroom door open. His eyes had adjusted to the dark. He could see Lorelai huddled up on her side of the bed, facing her nightstand. As he drew closer he noticed a furry lump on his side. Paul Anka. 

Luke took off his hat and quickly shrugged out of his flannel shirt leaving his t-shirt on. He traded his jeans for sweatpants. He nudged the sleeping dog and then shooed him off the bed. He eased himself next to Lorelai.

"Lorelai?" he whispered her name softly.

The only reply was an audible sniff.

"Lorelai," he moved closer. He put his arm around her waist and let his hand rest on her stomach. The baby was kicking vigorously. She tensed then caught his hand and moved it away, sniffling once again.

"Lorelai I'm sorry about tonight. We both said things we didn't mean. I didn't mean that you are a bad mother. I think you've done a wonderful job raising Rory and the both of us will do the same with this baby. We're stuck in a no-win situation here with Rory's article."

"I'm sorry if you thought I was insulting you. You have always been the most wonderful man. You've always been there for me and supported me but let me be myself." She had to make him understand that every other man she had known always came up lacking compared to him. "We've both chosen careers that may not seem exciting to most be people but we both love what we do. I am very happy you run the diner. Otherwise I'd starve."

Luke chuckled.

"And I'm glad the most dangerous things we have to contend with are Michel on one of this rants or Taylor driving you crazy."

"Either one of those could be deadly," he said in a mock serious tone. He pulled her towards the middle of the bed and gently rubbed her belly trying to calm the baby down.

"He's pretty active."

"I think all the fighting got him riled up."

"Do you realize this was our first, real, honest-to-god fight since we got married?"

"Yeah and it was a lulu."

"No more fights." He was silent for a moment. "Do you want me to go to Stamford and to keep an eye on Rory when she's on assignment? Luke hesitated, "I'm torn; I don't like the thought of her being out there and I don't want to leave you alone."

"No. We have to trust that Rory has set up the back-up and protection that she needs." Lorelai hugged him tighter. "I can't wait until her assignment is over."

"We'll call Rory in the morning," Luke suggested. He kept rubbing her belly but the baby kept kicking. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to calm him down tonight.

"That's okay," Lorelai replied. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep much anyway."

"That makes three of us," he sighed.

* * *

After the New Year, Lorelai finally started slowing down. She still worked at the Inn but was planning for her impending leave of absence. She had hoped to work up to her delivery date and then stop. After the baby was born, she would still be kept apprised of her business but not coming into to the Inn. She definitely wanted to take all the time she needed for their son. 

Luke had made his own arrangements as well. Cesar happily accepted the increased duties. Luke also increased Zach's duties and responsibilities, making sure Zach would be able to have time with his sons as well. He mentally went over the details he needed to get ready before the big day.

When Lorelai had to work a week's worth of evenings the second week of January, Luke adjusted his hours as well. Otherwise he would have gone crazy waiting for her or ended up spending his evenings with her at the Inn.

Luke and Zach were working late. Kirk was sitting at the counter meticulously eating a piece of apple pie, expounding on joy that is whipped cream.

"Oh, this is so good," Kirk exclaimed.

Luke walked by and noticed he was only eating the whipped cream and not the pie.

"Kirk, you could have just ordered whipped cream," Luke told him.

"Oh no," Kirk replied. "The pie supports the whipped cream and then the top of the pie is coated with it and give it that extra yummy flavor."

Luke shook his head. As always Kirk's twisted logic left him wondering why he was allowed out without a handler but he decided to let it go. He went into the kitchen. A second later, he came back out with the can and frosted off the pie once again sending Kirk off in a fit of rapture.

"You Luke Danes are the best!" Kirk declared. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Just this once Kirk," Luke told him. He laughed as he went back into the kitchen and began cleaning up.

The phone rang. Zach answered it. "Luke's." He listened for a minute. "Dude, can you repeat that?"

Zach listened again. "Dude, I'm sorry, I'm not getting that."

"Luke," Zach called, "there is some dude on the phone screaming about something. I can't understand him."

"Do you know who it is?" Luke asked walking out of the kitchen.

"No, I can't understand a word he is saying. It's like he talkin' in French or something."

Luke grabbed the phone. "Michel?"

"You have to come and you have to come _now_," Michel practically screamed over the phone. "Lorelai is in labor and I cannot and will not deliver this baby!"

_Deliver?_ "How close are her contractions?" Luke shouted. Behind him both Zach and Kirk perked up.

"I do not know. She has been in her office most of the evening. Sookie is with her now." Michel voice rose to hysterical note, "You have to come now!"

Luke dropped the phone. Zach came up behind him remembering that how he had gotten similar news and Luke had been the voice of calm. Luke turned to him.

"I gotta go," Luke said dazed.

"You need me to drive you?" Zach offered.

Luke got a hold of himself. "No. Close up and call Cesar about opening tomorrow. I'll keep you posted." He was about to walk out of the diner when he turned around. "And Zach? Thanks!"

"No problem, Dad! Good Luck!" Zach turned around. "Okay, Kirk, we're closing!"

Kirk had already gone.

* * *

Luke pulled his truck right up to the Inn entrance. He threw it in park, jumped out and left it running as he rushed into the Inn. 

Michel was in the lobby and trailed after him as he rushed past. Luke burst into Lorelai's office and stopped short. Lorelai was slouched in a chair, one hand on her stomach. Sookie was sitting next to her, holding her hand. Luke walked over and crouched down before her, laying a hand on her knee.

"Lorelai," Luke asked tentatively, "why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Because the contractions are only forty minutes apart. Michel walked in during one and went berserk. My water hasn't even broken."

"Well you were making an awful face," Michel whined petulantly. "I was afraid you were going to pop out the baby and disgusting stuff on my Italian loafers."

Luke and Lorelai exchanged a look and refrained from replying. Luke was relieved that the birth was not imminent but knew this was it.

"Let's get you to the hospital," Luke said helping her up.

"He's early," Lorelai said

"I noticed that."

"I'll call Rory and April, honey," Sookie offered as they headed through the lobby. "Once I finish up here, I'll come to the hospital."

"The hospital bag!" Lorelai remembered. "We don't have it."

"It's in the truck," Luke assured her. "I made a quick stop on the way."

"You're so calm," she said in relief. His seemingly-calm demeanor was calming her down. They could do this.

"You haven't seen what I did to our front door trying to get into the house," he shot back as he helped her into the truck.

When they arrived at the hospital, Luke parked the truck and managed to find a wheelchair to transport Lorelai into the hospital. They headed for the maternity ward. As they approached the desk, the nurse seemed relieved to see them.

"Gilmore and Danes?" she questioned. "We've been expecting you."

"Did Sookie call the hospital?" Luke asked Lorelai.

"No," the nurse answered for her. "You have a contingent standing by in the waiting room."

"Contingent?" Luke wheeled her forward to see what the nurse was talking about. As they rounded the corner and entered the waiting room they were confronted with a large number of townspeople.

"I don't believe it," Lorelai said is disbelief. As much as she loved the quirky characters that lived in her town, this was too much. Lulu, Babette and Miss Patty waved to her from a couch, Gypsy, Andrew and Morey were talking to Taylor and Kirk was walking around with a mini-concession box strapped to him. People were milling around.

"This is _not_ a town event!" Luke yelled at them. "Get out of here! When the baby is born, we'll let you know! Out!" He turned the wheelchair and headed back to the nurse's station. Sookie came running up as they got there.

"Okay, I called Rory, April and your parents. No one was home anywhere so I left messages," Sookie informed them.

"My parents will be home from Europe tomorrow. They wanted to be here in time for the birth. Looks like they won't make it." Lorelai said quietly looking troubled. Then she went on to what was really bothering her. "Rory?"

Luke stared at Lorelai, knowing what she was worrying about. "We'll try her again once we get you settled." He hoped she was out for the evening, not out working on her story.

The nurse handed Luke a clipboard with forms as Lorelai was whisked away.

* * *

Rory tiredly opened the door of her apartment. It was almost 2 a.m. She was so glad this was her last night out in the field. Even though the articles had been generating a positive response and a lot of buzz for the paper, she knew she shouldn't have pushed herself into such an assignment so soon. She knew she had caused both her mother and Luke a lot of undue worry but she was relieved they allowed her the chance to do the job she needed to do without the extra stress. 

Rory took a long shower, rinsing away the dirt, the grunge and the hopelessly she had been exposed to. She hoped she was helping to make a difference.

She finished her shower, dried her hair and put on her pajamas getting ready for a good night's sleep. As she double-checked the locks on her door, she noticed her answering machine light was blinking. She debated waiting to listen to the messages in the morning. Her cell had been turned off while she had been working. It would have been trouble if it had rang at the wrong moment. She hit the message button.

"Rory," Luke's voice filtered through the speaker, "your Mom and I are at the hospital…."

Rory shrieked and bolted to her bedroom to change.

* * *

"We'll be taking you into delivery in a few minutes," the nurse said once she finished checking on Lorelai. "You are almost fully dilated." 

Lorelai nodded absently holding on to Luke. Her water had broken and they had gotten through the contractions that were coming with an increasing frequency. Each time a contraction subsided they both fell silent, concerned that all too soon there would an addition to the family and worrying about one of the current number, namely Rory.

The door burst open. "Mom!" Rory shouted rushing to her.

"Rory," Lorelai hugged her daughter. "We got worried when we couldn't reach you."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's over and done with. Tonight was the last night, I promise," Rory said then hung onto her mother as she had another contraction.

Luke was holding Lorelai's hand on the other side looking a little pale. "We're headed to the delivery room soon," he informed her.

"Have you called Grandma and Grandpa?" Rory asked. "And April?"

"Your grandparent's are due back tomorrow and we left a message for April. We can't get a hold of her."

The nurse came in. "We're ready to take you to the delivery room."

"I'll be in the waiting room," Rory told them. She hugged her mother again and reached over to squeeze Luke's hand. She backed away from them as the gurney was wheeled in. "Good luck."

Rory stood out in the hall and watched the orderly wheel her mother out, Luke at her side. She closed her eyes praying that everything would go smoothly. She headed for the waiting room. Even with the excitement of the baby, she was extremely tired and needed to relax.

As she entered the waiting room, she saw Sookie trying to stay awake in one of the chairs.

"Sookie," she went over to her. "I'll take over. You're tired. Go home to Jackson and the kids." She saw Sookie hesitate. "Really, go. Your family needs you."

"I can't leave now," Sookie disagreed. "I want to stay."

"Well, I can use the company," Rory turned towards the couch and as she did April ran into the waiting area.

"April?" she asked in shock.

"Did Lorelai have the baby yet?"

Rory opened her mouth to reply and suddenly Anna was there too.

"Anna?" she said in surprise.

Before she could comment further, another person appeared as well and she was completely floored. This would be interesting.

"Dad?"

* * *

"Don't touch me!" Lorelai yelled. Luke was supporting her back as she rode out another contraction. "You are never touching me again, mister!" 

"Don't worry," a nurse assured him. "They always say that."

Luke said nothing deciding it was better to let Lorelai rail at him then to try to answer her. He was too busy trying not to panic, trying to remember how to count to ten and trying to remember everything he had learned about childbirth.

"This is all your fault!"

"They say that too," the nurse piped up again in a calm, half-amused voice. "She's behaving like any woman who's giving birth."

Lorelai glared at the nurse wishing she had ice chips to pelt her with but before she could snap back with a retort, the next contraction was upon her. She screamed.

"You did this!" she screamed at Luke again. She remembered the day that precipitated this event. "You, with your laminated horoscopes and proposing and all that talk about goats! You charmed the pants right off of me!"

Luke suddenly realized how bizarre her last tirade sounded when the doctor peered up at him questioningly for a moment. Both nurses were also staring at him.

"Ah, long story," he said shrugged.

"Okay the head is out," the doctor informed them. "Lorelai, one more good push and we'll have him out.

Lorelai bent forward and bore down as hard as she could, trying to push the baby out.

"Okay, shoulders out and here he comes. He's out," the doctor declared.

"You're giving birth to the next one," Lorelai said as she sagged against Luke.

While Luke was happy that he had gone from never touching her again to confirming they would have more children, he was too wrapped up in what was happening with this baby. He mopped the sweat from her forehead and gently caressed her cheek. "We'll talk about that later." He eased her down on the bed and still holding her hand, moved toward the foot of the bed.

"How does he look?"

Luke was not prepared for the sight of his son. "He's a mess," he blurted out truthfully.

"We'll get him cleaned up," the nurse stated. "He's just fine."

Luke turned back to Lorelai, for the first time seeing how worn out she was. Lorelai was managing to keep her eyes open even though she was exhausted. He went back to her and gave her a gentle kiss. "I love you," he said.

"I must love you to go through this," she joked feebly then rested her head on his shoulder as he slipped an arm around her.

After a few minutes, the nurse approached them with a wrapped bundle. "Here he is." She placed the baby in Lorelai's arms.

"Hey there little man," Lorelai cooed softly. She felt Luke rest his cheek against her damp hair and stare down at the baby.

"He does look better than he did," Luke admitted quietly. He reached out and touched a tiny fist.

"He's perfect," Lorelai said in awe. Luke kissed her forehead as they gazed down, getting acquainted with their son.

* * *

Luke headed out to the waiting room to let Rory know that she had a baby brother but his feet seemed to carry him toward the nursery. He looked through the glass and saw the baby sleeping contentedly. He smiled knowing that being a father would be different than what he experienced with April but right now, still running on adrenaline, he felt he was up to the challenge. He hoped he felt that way tomorrow. 

"That's a good looking kid you got there," a voice commented from behind him. Luke turned to see Christopher standing a few feet away. "Must take after his mother," Christopher joked.

Luke gaped at him, surprised by his presence. "How come you always pop up at major events in my life? What are _you_ doing here?" he asked surprised.

"Doing a favor for a friend, bringing her to the hospital so her daughter can meet her brother."

Luke was confused for a minute then it dawned on him. "You brought Anna and April here?"

"They got Sookie's message. Anna called asking if I could pick them up from the airport. She figured I'd be interested in coming here as well."

Luke looked at Christopher curiously. "Anna called you? What the heck is Anna doing calling you? How did she know how to reach you?"

"We've spoken to each other a couple of times since your wedding." Christopher admitted.

Luke raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"We're just friends, really," Christopher assured him. He inclined his head towards the baby behind the glass. "How does it feel to be a new dad?"

"Terrifying but great," Luke admitted his eyes fixed on the baby.

"How's Lorelai?"

"Exhausted. She's sleeping. I was just coming out to tell Rory and I got a little sidetracked."

"That's understandable," Christopher said. He remembered how he felt when Gigi was born.

"Luke?" They both turned. Rory, April, Sookie and Anna were approaching.

Luke smiled at both girls. "Come see your baby brother."

Rory stood on one side of Luke, April on the other. He had his arms around them both. Sookie stood on one side of them, Anna and Christopher on the other.

"Aww he's so cute!" April said.

"He's adorable," Sookie gushed and looked at the identification card that said Baby Danes. "You haven't named him yet?"

"We have, but Lorelai wants to tell everyone his name." Rory caught his eye questioningly but he shook his head. "Why don't you all take off and get some rest. I'm going back to stay with Lorelai. Come back in the morning which is," he looked at the clock which read five-fifteen, "now, I guess. Come back later." Luke realized Anna and April would need a place to stay. "April, Cesar will probably be at the diner soon. Why don't you and your mother stay upstairs?"

"Okay, Dad. I'll see you later." April hugged him then the three of them left.

"Get some rest Sookie," Luke said tiredly. "And thank you for staying." He hugged her. "Oh and go ahead and let everybody know."

"I am so happy for you both. Give Lorelai my love," Sookie hugged him tighter then walked away.

Luke and Rory looked down at the sleeping baby. "He's amazing," she said proudly.

"Yeah, he is," Luke agreed. "I'm glad you made it here in time."

"How are you holding up?" Rory asked.

Luke seemed to shake himself out of his reverie. "Fine, now. Before… it had to be the scariest thing I've ever been through," he looked at the baby again, "but it was totally worth it." He looked at Rory. "Get some rest," he hugged her. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, Dad," she grinned hugging him back.

* * *

Lorelai was sitting up holding the baby. Luke had already taken up a position sitting next to her on the bed, his arm around her, watching the baby, fascinated. Rory and April were sitting in chairs nearby. They each already had a turn holding the baby. 

"How do you feel, Mom?" Rory asked.

"Pretty good, all things considered..." Lorelai began.

"I don't care what kind of restrictions you have on the number of visitors," Emily's voice echoed from the hall. "We are visiting our daughter."

"…until now," Lorelai joked. Richard and Emily charged into the room.

"Lorelai!" Emily said mildly exasperated, "we come home to this message that you're in labor and having the baby. You couldn't wait one more day?"

"Sorry, Mom," Lorelai apologized, "I should have thought to cross my legs."

"Lorelai," Richard remonstrated shaking his head. "Let's see our grandson."

"Here, Dad," Lorelai held the baby out to him. Richard took the baby, looked down at him and chuckled. "Oh, he's a fine boy." Emily was peeking at the baby as well. "What's his name?"

Luke and Lorelai glanced at each other.

"Oh, tell me you didn't pick out some bizarre name," Emily pleaded.

"No, Mom, we are not going to name him Elvis." Lorelai had twined her fingers with Luke's. "We decided to take a little more traditional route. Instead of naming him after Luke, we looked at other family names and decided to name him William Richard Danes after both of his grandfathers. We're going to call him Will."

Richard looked at his daughter stunned, blinking back the tears. "It's a fine name. Thank you both."

Emily eased the baby from Richard's arms and was staring down at him. His eyes fluttered open and Emily could already tell he had Lorelai's eyes and had Luke's nose and chin.

"William Richard Danes. He's a beautiful baby," Emily said, her voice quavering with emotion. She rocked him in her arms for a moment then moved towards the bed. "He's going to be a handsome boy," she admitted proudly as she placed the baby in Luke's arms. "Just like his father."

Luke had been watching his son so it took a moment for her words to sink in. His eyes met hers and she smiled and patted him on the arm.

"Thank you Emily," he said sincerely.

Lorelai let her happy tears fall. She couldn't believe she was finally getting her whole package. She had a wonderful career but more importantly, a loving husband, beautiful children and her parents' love. She felt truly blessed.

"How long are they keeping you?" April asked.

"They are springing me tomorrow. I get a little extra time because Will was born early this morning. Luke is taking time off from the diner and we are going get used to this little fella here."

"You realize most of the town will probably be showing up at your door," Rory stated.

Luke snorted in agreement. "Loons," he grumbled.

Lorelai leaned up against him and gently stroked Will's hair. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Rory took a break from proofreading an article one of her co-workers had written. She always appreciated another pair of eyes checking over her work and she was happy to return the favor. Her eyes fell on a picture of Will. 

She couldn't believe how much he had grown over the past few weeks. She spent every weekend in Stars Hollow. Her mother, Luke and Will had managed to establish a routine. She chuckled when she thought about Luke, Mr. Jam-Hands himself, and how easily he had adapted to the care of a newborn. She had seen him change and bathe Will efficiently and laughed when she saw him reading the sports page to him.

She glanced at the clock. They had a brief staff meeting in a few minutes so she collected up a pad and a pen and headed to the conference room.

She sat down amidst the nervous buzzing from her co-workers.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"The big boss is sitting in on this meeting," someone replied. "Huntzberger usually comes to at least one meeting a year."

Rory's stomach lurched. "Mitchum Huntzberger?"

"Yeah. Sshh, here he comes!"

Mitchum strode into the room in his usual commanding way. "Hello all, it's good to see you again." His eyes glanced around the room, paused briefly on Rory then continued on. "There is no need to panic," he said sensing the fear from the group. "I just wanted to congratulate everyone on the terrific job that you've been doing. Recent reports show circulation is up, profits are up and you should all be very proud."

Everyone applauded.

"In addition," Mitchum went on, this time looking directly at Rory, "the recent homeless series has been picked up to go national. Thank you, Rory Gilmore. You should be very proud."

Everyone looked at Rory and applauded again. She bobbed her head in acknowledgment.

"I'll be speaking with some of you on a one-to-one basis, but for the most part, that's all I have to say," Mitchum finished up. "Good work everybody!"

As the meeting broke up, Mitchum walked over to Rory. "Congratulations, Rory. Excellent job."

"Thank you," Rory said, squelching any nervousness she felt over her past dealings with Mitchum, not to mention the fact that she had turned down his son's marriage proposal. They walked out of the conference room together.

"Have you any ideas for your next series?" he asked interested.

"A few," Rory allowed. "Maybe not as dangerous as the first one, but equally important."

"I have to admit, you surprised me with the articles on the homeless. Some fine writing." Mitchum admitted. "You've got guts," he eyed her. "In more ways than one."

Rory realized they were no longer talking about her writing. She imagined Mitchum had probably been shocked that Rory had refused Logan's proposal. Her refusal might have been interpreted that Logan was not good enough for her, something she was sure no Huntzberger ever experienced before.

"How is Logan?" Rory ventured.

"He's fine," Mitchum looked past her for a moment. "As a matter of fact, he's in town and accompanied me here today."

"What?" Rory asked shocked. Mitchum looked beyond her again and she turned around knowing Logan would be standing there.

"Hey, Ace," Logan smiled faintly.

"Hi," Rory stammered, her wits scattering. It had been months since she last saw him on that awful day.

"You look good," Logan nodded, "and you've been doing some incredible things."

"Thank you," she managed. "Ah, how are you doing? How's the job?"

"Good," he replied. "We launched a few months ago and business is booming. I'm here on a break so I thought I'd tag along with Dad and check things out." He looked at his father and Rory couldn't help notice the relationship between father and son was not as tense as it had once been.

"That's great." Rory congratulated him.

"Ah, Rory," Logan hesitated and then took the plunge, "I'm in town for a while. I was wondering if maybe we could have dinner and catch up."

Rory smiled and nodded. "I'd like that." She glanced around and noticed most of the staff was observing them. "I should get back to work though." Rory backed away from them. "Call me and we'll set something up." She turned and walked away.

"She turned into one hell of a reporter," Mitchum remarked.

"Yeah, she did," Logan agreed. "Surprised that you were wrong about her?"

"No," Mitchum stated. "I've been wrong before. With her talent, I don't see her staying here much longer. I should give her a choice of positions from one of our more high-profile publications or have them offer to her."

"If you want my advice, Dad, don't. It's important to Rory to earn her way through her own talents and resources. She likes to work to achieve what she wants, not have it handed to her."

Mitchum looked at his son. "You sound like you learned that one the hard way."

"Yeah, I did," Logan said in with a tone that indicated he did not want to talk about it. "And I'll never make that mistake again."

* * *

Lorelai tucked the blanket around Will. He had been fed, burped, changed and was settling down for an afternoon nap. She enjoyed watching him sleep and was sorry that this would be her last week to be at home with him. She had taken him in for a checkup and the doctor had given her a clean bill of health as well. She could return to her normal schedule and duties whenever she wanted. 

She marveled at how much Will had grown over the weeks, how he changed. He looked more and more like Luke every passing day. She grinned as she thought about all the memories she had of the three of them but particularly Luke and Will. She shook her head remembering how Luke had said he couldn't handle kids. He couldn't have been more wrong.

She heard the nursery door open behind her and Luke came in. "Hey," she whispered. Luke had made it a habit to come home during Will's noon-time feeding.

"He's down for his nap already?" Luke asked incredulously, looking down at their son.

"Yeah, he went down a little early. He was tired, I guess," Lorelai said noncommittally, not letting him know that she put him down earlier for a reason. "Let's let him sleep."

As they walked out of the Will's room, she grabbed the baby monitor.

"You probably want to get a nap in as well," Luke said disappointed as he followed her into their bedroom. He enjoyed spending time with both of them in the afternoon. Lorelai put the monitor down then went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, I definitely want to go to bed," she said impishly, "but not to sleep."

Luke's eyes widened at what he hoped she was suggesting. He carefully slid his arms around her like she might break. "Ah, did the doctor give you the okay to…" he trailed off.

Lorelai nodded and grinned. "So I've seen to Will's needs," she said backing him up to the bed, "and now its time to see to yours."

Lorelai laughed and gave him a little shove and Luke fell back on the bed.

* * *

Lorelai tightened the belt on her robe and she crept up to the crib to check on Will. He had been very accommodating, taking a long nap. She felt Luke's arms slid around her and pull her back against him. He buried his face in her hair. 

"He's still asleep?"

"Uh-hmmm," she replied. Luke was nibbling at her neck.

"I don't want to go back to the diner," he complained.

She turned around in his arms and looped her arms around his neck. "It's okay. We'll be here when you get back." She kissed him. "There's always tonight."

Luke kissed her passionately in reply.

* * *

Rory was almost ready to leave for the day. She just had to complete her revisions on a small article. As she sent it on to layout, she noticed a new email from a surprising source. She opened it, read it through once then a second time committing portions of it to memory. Her heart was pounding. She forwarded the email to her private account and deleted it from her mail box. 

"Well, I'm done for today," she hoped her voice sounded normal. "See you all tomorrow."

She made a quick beeline for her car, got inside and situated then took out her cell phone and dialed the number she had memorized.

"_The Chicago Tribune_," a voice answered.

"David Marburg, please" she said in a business-like voice.

* * *

Logan parked his car near Rory's apartment building. It had taken him a while to get Rory to confirm when they would go out to dinner. She had put him off a couple of times claiming she was working late on a special article and another time she had been out of town but she wouldn't tell him where. Finally tonight was the night. 

He saw Rory waiting in the foyer as he approached the building.

"Hi," she said. She seemed a little keyed up.

"You okay?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, yes. Let's go have dinner."

He escorted her back to the car and they headed out to the restaurant. He had decided against taking her to a fancy, overblown restaurant, deliberately choosing a place that could be elegant or comfortable depending on how the dinner went. When they arrived, the hostess seated them and the waiter took their drink order. They sat looking at their menus. After a few minutes, the waiter returned with their drinks and took their dinner order.

"So, how is your Mom and Luke?" he asked settling back.

"They're great," Rory responded enthusiastically. She pulled out her wallet and handed him a photo. "I have a baby brother now."

"Wow, they didn't waste any time," Logan grinned as he looked at the picture.

"Yeah, Will, that's his name, is so cute," Rory gushed on overly excited.

Logan handed the picture back. Something was up and he knew it. "Rory, what's going on?"

Rory hesitated for a minute. She had to tell someone. "I got a job offer," she said, her eyes shining, "with _The_ _Chicago Tribune_! It's a terrific position. The money's good and I would actually have a small staff!"

"Wow, that's fantastic!" Logan said happy for her. "Would you like some champagne to celebrate?"

"Sure, why not," Rory agreed. Logan signaled to the waiter hovering nearby and he scurried off.

"When would you go?" Logan asked.

"Well, I have to put in my notice here at the Gazette. And I haven't told my Mom yet."

Logan nodded. He knew from previous experience that Rory always talked things over with Lorelai.

"It's going to be hard leaving them," Rory said suddenly realizing how far it was between Stars Hollow and Chicago.

"Well, I'm sure you'll do what's right for you," Logan assured her. "You always did."

Rory looked at him. "Even when I turned you down?"

The waiter returned with the champagne. Once it was poured, Logan spent a long time staring at his glass.

"You were right to turn me down, Rory." Logan admitted. "I was so caught up with what was going on with me; I didn't think about what was right for you. You needed the time to bounce back and prove yourself after losing the Reston. You've done that." He paused nervously, "You, ah, aren't seeing anyone are you? I mean, you didn't mention leaving anyone behind when you talked about the new job."

"No," Rory's gaze dropped to her own glass, "I'm not seeing anyone."

Logan took a deep breath. "Rory, I know when I left we were over, but," he hesitated, "I still love you."

Rory caught her breath at his declaration. She had been lonely without him and hadn't really been into the dating scene. "It hasn't been easy, trying to get over you."

"Have you?" Logan asked in sudden hope.

"No," Rory admitted. "But Logan, we've been apart now for almost a year. And we still would have the same issue we had before, you in California and now me in Chicago. Relationships are hard enough without putting four thousand miles between us."

"Rory, that may not be the case," Logan explained. "Now that my company is established, I can use our technology and be based almost anywhere."

"Really?" Rory caught her breath.

"Yeah, I can live in Palo Alto, or Stamford or even Stars Hollow," he grinned at her. "Right now Chicago is looking pretty good."

"We'd need time to get comfortable with each other again. I can't guarantee anything," Rory cautioned him.

"At least we can take the chance and see," Logan agreed. "What do you think, Ace?"

She grinned at him. "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"Did Rory say who she was bringing with her?" Luke asked as they drove home from Friday night dinner. 

"You sound like my Mother, asking for more details. They were just as curious. Rory said she had some things she wanted to talk about to us and that 'they' would be up tomorrow morning and we would have dinner at my parents' house tomorrow night." Lorelai replied.

"We just left there. Twice in one weekend?" Luke looked horrified for a moment then grinned.

"I'm sure you'll survive. All their attention is focused on Will anyway."

"We aren't gonna let them spoil him," Luke warned.

"We won't," Lorelai promised.

As they pulled into the driveway they saw Rory's car.

"I thought she was coming up tomorrow?" Luke asked.

"I guess her plans changed," Lorelai shrugged.

They got Will out of the back of the Jeep and proceeded into the house.

"Rory?" Lorelai called.

Rory emerged from her room. "Mom!" she hugged her mother. "Hey Luke," she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then turned her attention to Will. "Hey there, Will. Wow, you grow a couple of inches every time I see you!"

"You came early," Lorelai stated.

"Yeah, we couldn't wait," Rory turned towards her room. "C'mon out!"

Logan walked out of Rory's room and straight towards a very stunned Lorelai.

"Hi," Logan said a bit nervously. "Bet you thought you'd never see me again."

Both Lorelai and Luke gaped at him for a moment then looked over to Rory for confirmation.

"Logan's been in town for a while. We've been spending some time together."

"This was the big news you wanted to tell us?" Lorelai asked. "You're back together?"

"Yes and no. We're going to try again to see if we can make it work. Sit down," Rory urged them.

Luke left Will in his carrier and set him down on the coffee table. He and Lorelai sat together on the couch. Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand suddenly afraid of what she was about to hear.

"Well," Rory began nervously, "you remember my series on the homeless. Of course you remember; we had a pretty big fight over it."

"Yes," Lorelai said slowly.

"Well, it's going national. People are going to be reading it across the country."

"Rory, that's wonderful!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"The best part," Rory said, "is that both the publisher and managing editor of _The Chicago Tribune_ read it and they offered me a job!"

Lorelai suddenly gripped Luke's hand hard. "Wow," she said with a false brightness, "that's fantastic!"

"You've accepted the position?" Luke asked quietly. Lorelai's grip on his hand hadn't slackened. He knew what it was costing her to remain calm.

"Yes," Rory replied, her eyes fixed on Lorelai.

Lorelai's smile was fixed. Rory knew her mother was thinking about the distance and the separation. Rory sat next to Lorelai and squeezed her other hand.

"Mom, I know this is going to be tough, for both of us, but I think its time I really went out into the world. This has been my dream for so long and now it's starting to come true."

Lorelai nodded, unable to speak. She had always wanted Rory to follow her heart. "When?" she asked in dread.

"I've gave notice at the Gazette on Monday. Two weeks," Rory said.

Lorelai couldn't prevent the sound that escaped her mouth. _Two weeks_. She felt her stomach drop.

"What about Logan," she managed to ask. "I thought you two were getting back together."

"Since the start-up, Logan's job has become a bit more flexible," Rory explained. "He's going to Chicago too. He'll be able to work from there."

Lorelai nodded again, breathing heavily. Luke slipped an arm around her. He was having a hard time dealing with this news. He couldn't even begin to imagine how Lorelai was taking it.

"I have to put Will to bed," Lorelai said standing up. She needed to get out of the room. She looked at Rory. "You were planning on telling Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow?" Lorelai knew this would be hard for her parents too.

"Yes. I wanted to tell them in person. After all they've done for me, I owe them that. I'll be seeing Dad too, to let him know."

Lorelai leaned over and unbuckled Will. "Come on, sweetheart," she cuddled the baby, "time for bed."

Rory, Logan and Luke watched Lorelai mount the stairs with Will in her arms. Rory turned to Luke and for the first time, Luke noticed Rory blinking back tears.

"I know this is going to be hard, my going away."

Luke shook his head managed to say steadily, "You have no idea." He followed Lorelai up the stairs.

* * *

Lorelai couldn't believe how fast the two weeks flew by. They had gone to Stamford to help Rory pack. Rory had been fortunate; the Tribune was paying for her moving expenses, they wanted her on staff that much. They packed up Rory's apartment and the moving truck had been loaded. It would go on ahead and Rory would meet them in Chicago. 

They had seen more of Richard and Emily in the past two weeks as well. They had reacted the same way Lorelai had. Shocked, stunned, saddened but they too knew it was time for Rory to spread her wings and take on the world as she always meant to.

Rory was leaving in the morning. They were all coming back to Stars Hollow for Rory's last night. She and Logan would be starting out early. Lorelai was grateful she would have Rory close at least for one more night.

Rory was surprised how quickly her grandparents got them through dinner. They had gotten in and out of the mansion in record time.

As they approached the town, Luke pulled over near the diner and Logan followed suit. Rory looked at the diner but it was closed, the blinds drawn.

"I just needed to stop for a minute," Luke explained. "You can have coffee while you wait."

Luke unlocked the door and went into the darkened diner. As soon as Rory entered, the lights snapped on and Rory heard "Surprise!"

Rory looked around the diner. Everyone she knew, they were all there. Lane and Zach with their twins, Sookie and Jackson, Babette, Morey and Miss Patty, Kirk, Taylor. Her eyes widened when she saw her father. She turned to her mother, standing next to her.

"We had to give you a send off, kid," Lorelai said.

"Did Grandma and Grandpa know about this? Was this why we rushed through dinner?"

Lorelai nodded.

"You should have invited them too." Rory told her mother.

"She did," Emily said as she and Rory walked into the diner. "We followed you here."

Rory looked at her mother, "Mom," she hugged her tightly then went to circulate amongst her guests.

Lorelai went to the counter where Luke had placed Will and watched her daughter mingle with the crowed, hugging people, laughing and talking.

"Hey hon," Sookie glided up to her. "How you doing?"

Lorelai gave her a sad smile. "I am going to miss her so much, Sookie"

"I know," Sookie agreed sadly. "She's always been with you."

"You did a fantastic job with the food," Lorelai observed. The majority of the counter was covered with different foods, a lot of them Rory's favorites.

"Thanks," Sookie said squeezing her arm in support. She knew how sad Lorelai was. Emily walked up as Sookie drifted away.

"Thank you for coming, Mom. And thank you for giving up part of Friday night dinner."

Emily nodded watching her daughter's reaction. "I just can't get used to the fact that she'll be so far away."

"She has her life to live, Mom. As much as this is killing me, I want her to be happy. No matter how far she has to go, wherever it might lead her, I want her to have the best."

"I understand," Emily said softly. "It's the same thing I've always wanted for you."

Lorelai looked at her mother. Emily gave her a trembling smile.

"Fortunately for me, you found your happiness close by. I think that is going to be an enormous comfort to me and your father that you will still be nearby once Rory leaves." Emily gave Lorelai a watery smile. "I hope I can be a comfort for you as well."

Lorelai couldn't speak for a moment. After all the years of estrangement, Lorelai suddenly knew full measure how her mother felt when Lorelai had left with Rory so long ago. Lorelai felt a kinship with her mother, something she had not expected to feel.

"Thank you, Mom," Lorelai said sincerely. She took her mother's hand as they both watched her daughter.

Rory had been navigating her way through the crowd, receiving best wishes from the townspeople.

"You have to keep emailing me pictures of Kwan and Steve," Rory said to Lane as she hugged her. "And keep me posted on what's going on in the town. Just because I'm not here, doesn't mean I don't want to be kept up-to-date on all the happenings here in Stars Hollow.

"We will," Lane promised. "Lorelai and I have already talked about play dates for the twins and Will."

"We will miss you, Rory," Mrs. Kim said. She pointed a finger at Rory. "You're a good girl. We look forward to seeing you do great things."

"Thank you." Any praise from Mrs. Kim was high praise indeed.

"Rory?" a familiar voice sounded.

Rory turned to see Paris standing before her. Doyle was standing right behind her. "Paris? Oh my god!" Rory threw her arms around her. "I can't believe you are here! How's med school?"

"Fine," Paris replied. "I haven't found anyone in the entire school who'll challenge me like you but I'm adapting."

"And I'm learning more about medicine then I ever wanted," Doyle interjected.

"Mind if I steal my daughter for a minute?" Christopher interrupted.

"Fine," Paris said abruptly. "I mean I am just her friend here. You're her father." Paris marched off with Doyle in tow.

"The more I see of her, the more she scares me," Christopher commented, then looked at Rory. "Well kiddo, looks like you are hitting the big-time."

"Yep," Rory agreed.

"I am gonna miss the hell out of you," Christopher said and hugged her.

"You can visit. Mom and Luke are coming next month after I get settled. It'll be okay," Rory reassured him.

"Its not gonna be easy." Christopher looked over at Lorelai. Luke was standing with her and he was obviously comforting her. "It's going to be tougher on your Mom."

Rory's throat tightened up. "I know."

"Go," Christopher said swallowing his emotions, "have fun at your party."

Rory nodded and moved away. Christopher drifted over to Lorelai by herself, Luke having gone into the kitchen.

"How you holding up?" Christopher asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "I'm still hoping this all a dream and I'll wake up and she'll be twelve again."

"If you had your choice would you really want to live the past ten years again or go forward?" Christopher asked seriously.

Luke came out of the kitchen and heard the question.

"Forward," Lorelai sighed. She gripped Luke's hand. "I can't be selfish. Rory needs her own beginning and middle too."

* * *

"Rory! Logan! Rise and shine!" Lorelai called as she walked down the hall to Rory's bedroom. After the party broke up the previous night, they all came home and went straight to bed, completely exhausted. 

"We're up and dressed, Mom," Rory called back. "We were about to make breakfast."

"No, no cooking," Lorelai declared. "We're going to Luke's."

"Mom, we don't have to," Rory said.

"Luke is already there," Lorelai replied. "You don't want to disappoint him do you?" she asked.

Rory and Logan exchanged glances. Logan shrugged. "He does make a kick-ass cup of coffee," Logan admitted.

Rory and Logan followed Lorelai into the living room where Will was waiting, already in his stroller. Lorelai had bundled him up because it was unseasonably chilly and put the little blue baseball cap on him, backwards of course. The three of them maneuvered the stroller off the porch and set off for the diner.

It was still early when they arrived. They could see Luke inside busily working. The bell chimed when they entered the diner and he looked up.

"Good, I'm almost finished making breakfast," Luke said.

"Aren't we a little early?" Rory said looking around the empty diner.

"You're right on time."

Luke went back into the kitchen as they seated themselves. Lorelai gave Will a bottle. Soon, Luke walked out followed by Cesar bearing plates of bacon and eggs, French toast, and pancakes and sausage. He went behind the counter and brought plates and mugs then got coffee.

"Luke," Rory asked eyeing the mountain of food. "Did you make everything on the menu?"

"No," Luke replied, "just all of your favorites, which come to think of it, _is_ everything on the menu. Dig in." He poured them coffee and then sat down.

They took their time and enjoyed their breakfast unconsciously taking longer than usual. Finally they couldn't delay any longer.

Rory looked around the diner, storing it in her memory until the next time she was here again. As they got up to leave, Kirk walked in and made a beeline for the counter.

"Breakfast at Luke's, the most important meal of the day!" Kirk declared as he passed her.

Rory smiled, watching Kirk and realizing even though she was leaving, life was already moving on for all of them. They all left the diner and headed back to the house.

As they arrived home, Rory's car was waiting, packed with their suitcases and ready to go. They went into the house one last time.

"Rory," Logan said, knowing she needed time and privacy to say her good-byes, "I'll wait for you in the car." He shook both Luke's and Lorelai's hands and tickled Will under his chin then left.

Luke took Will out of his stroller and handed him to Rory. "Hey little bro," she cooed to him, "don't grow up too fast. I'll be back before you know it." She hugged the baby and handed him back to Luke.

"Luke," Rory couldn't speak. She just hugged him

"If you need anything…" he began.

"I know." Rory said choking back the tears. "I love you."

Luke pulled her close and hugged her. "I love you too. We'll see you soon."

Luke stepped back and Rory faced her mother. Lorelai eyes were already swimming in tears. Lorelai slipped an arm around Rory and led her outside, down the steps and they slowly walked across the lawn.

"You'll call me when you stop for the night?" Lorelai said, her breath coming out in white puffs.

"Yeah," Rory said in a small voice as the magnitude of the situation hit home. She was leaving, actually leaving. "Mom!" She threw herself into her mother's arms.

Lorelai clung to her daughter, holding her tight. She stroked her hair, committing the feel and scent of it to memory to fill the emptiness after Rory had gone.

"You have been my best friend," Lorelai cried. "I am going to miss you so much."

"I'll be back before you know it," Rory sobbed.

"I know. I just got a little spoiled having you so close," Lorelai explained. She pulled away from Rory and brushed away her tears. She gave Rory a watery smile. "Knock 'em dead kid," she whispered.

Rory stepped back, smiled and nodded, knowing that even though they would be apart, Lorelai would always be with her. She gave her a little wave then turned and got into the car.

Lorelai stood at the end of the driveway, her arms wrapped around herself, trying to stay warm. She watched the car drive down the road and continued watching until it was out of sight.

Slowly she turned back to the house, numbed. Rory was gone. She would come back for visits, of course, but Lorelai was faced with the fact that her eldest child was completely out on her own.

As Lorelai mounted the steps to the house, she noticed the door open and Luke standing in the foyer, holding Will.

Luke watched Lorelai approach and he could see the agony in her eyes. He shifted the baby to his right side, Will's head laying on the right side of his chest.

Lorelai gazed at Luke and saw the pain in his eyes. He loved Rory too and would miss her. As she stepped over the threshold he reached out with his left arm and drew her close. She buried her face in his neck, her hot tears, soaking into his flannel. She felt Luke kiss her hair. His arm tightened around her back, offering her the comfort and support she needed. He was there for her, just as he had always been.

They stood motionless for a minute then Lorelai turned and laid her head on Luke's shoulder. Will caught his mother's gaze and gurgled at her, his eyes lighting up. She gave a little laugh, their son already soothing her hurt. She reached out and gently laid her hand on his back, rubbing it in gentle circles. It would be alright. Lorelai felt Luke's lips brush her forehead as he carefully turned them around, his heel catching the door and closing it behind them.

The house was still in the cold morning and ever so gently, snow began to fall.

The End

* * *

A/N 

I got it done before the last episode. I may make minor adjustments, we'll see. Thank you all who came along for my ride. I want reviews, lots of them. Sap that I am, I bawled my eyes out on this last part. Let me know what you guys think.

I have my fingers crossed that the final episode tomorrow night will be satisfying.

Until my next fanfic

Jmaka


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